There are times all of us feel sad or melancholic. There are times we feel happy for no apparent reason and want to sing and dance for joy. People have mood swings but they are not every day and not without reason. However, when you see some one who is ecstatic one moment and goes down to the depth of depression in the other, then there are chances that these are bipolar symptoms and bipolar disease is what the person is afflicted with. Most people harbor some false myths about bipolar symptoms and bipolar disease. Hence, we need to know what bipolar disorder really is.

The Truth Behind Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is also popularly known as manic depression. As the name indicates, the symptoms of this disorder are characterized with periods of euphoria or mania alternating with periods of depression. These periods are not just fleeting phases. They last for hours, days and months. Moreover these radical mood changes also hamper the ability of the individual to lead a normal day to day life.

Patients in the mania phase may have an increased amount of energy and feel the urge to do things out of character like sing and dance, quit his job or shop like a madman. Euphoric feelings for no apparent reason are the characteristics associated with the mania phase.

The depression phase on the other hand can be characterized by symptoms of low or no energy. A person suffering from this phase may be completely depressed about everything, wallow in self pity and be very lethargic for no reason.

The rate of affliction of bipolar disorder has increased with almost 3% of the adult population in the US suffering from this disease. The disease has been linked to family history and genetics but researchers are still trying to find out the true causes of bipolar disorder.

It’s often observed that the onset of bipolar disorder takes place in the late teenage or early adult years. Hence, initially most people mistake the bipolar symptoms in teens as a typical adolescent behavior and don’t pay much attention which makes the symptoms worse. Hence, early prognosis of this disease can enable the patient to lead a healthy life.

People suffering from bipolar disease and the bipolar symptoms were often referred to as “mad” in the early days. Another perception was that they were possessed by evil spirits. However, many of these myths have been shattered with the advancement of technology.

Listed below are a couple of myths about the disease that are still around today:

Patients with bipolar disorder can no longer have a good life: This myth is absolutely false since people over the world afflicted with bipolar disorder can lead normal lives and have children and a great family. All that is required is a good support system and a good coping ability to manage the symptoms when they occur.

There is always an alternation between mania and depression for patients with bipolar disorder – Both these phases occur with bipolar disorder but there tends to be more of an occurrence of depression rather than mania. Mania is so mild most of the time that it’s hardly noticeable. There are also several instances where patients may not experience any symptoms for some time.

Medicines and therapy can be used to treat bipolar disease and bipolar symptoms. But even with these conventional cures, the unconditional love and support of loved ones is very important in ensuring a normal life for someone suffering from the disease.