What Bipolar Disorder Really Is
People with bipolar disorder and their loved ones have basically been told that the disorder is one of a chemical imbalance of the brain and/or a mood disorder characterized by extreme mood swings. However, bipolar disorder really is much more than that.
Thanks to a man named Aretaeus in the second century AD, bipolar disorder has very historical roots. Aretaeus was the first to believe that the manic and depressive symptoms he saw in certain people were linked.
The disorder is physiological, since it has to do with your body, but mental as well, since it has to do with your mind.
Bipolar disorder is often considered a neurological problem since it is associated with your brain, it can also be termed a chemical imbalance of the brain, which is a physical disorder, instead.
Believing that bipolar disorder has biological roots, scientists are currently studying genes they think may cause the disorder. If they find the specific gene or genes that are linked to the disorder, they will be steps away from a cure. Of course, there is great debate in the scientific community about the validity of this research, and there is quite a long way to go before a cure can be found.
You may find that your doctor will tell you that your bipolar disorder has a medical element, as well. There is a greater risk of physical symptoms (body aches, headaches, backaches, stomach aches, etc.) when you are in a bipolar depressive episode than when you are not.
If you talk to your psychiatrist about your bipolar disorder, he or she will, of course, tell you that bipolar disorder is a psychiatric illness. In the American Psychiatric Association\’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), you\’ll find the information that your psychiatrist probably used to diagnose you in the first place.
As many studies have shown, bipolar disorder is hereditary and may be passed down through families.
Bipolar disorder is without a doubt an emotional disorder. As anyone who suffers with the disorder can say, your mood may swing uncontrollably from depression to mania and back again, and you have little to no control over those moods. This also causes emotional side effects such as stress, anxiety, and insomnia.
There is also a personal element to bipolar disorder. Because of the stigma still evident in our society against mental illness of any kind, many people with the disorder will keep their disorder to themselves and won\’t tell others that they even have it. They feel like it is a personal thing.
Bipolar disorder is really much more than a chemical imbalance of the brain or just a mood disorder. It is both of these things and more.
David Oliver has the #1 website for bipolar information, symptoms, causes, medications and treatments.
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