What is bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder. It’s characterized by severe mood shifts from depression to mania, severe enough that they impair a person’s ability to function. It shows up in about 1% of the world’s population, and about 2.6% of Americans. The mood swings don’t have to do with poor emotional control, or with normal, appropriate fluctuations in mood. We used to call it “manic depression,” but that’s not really a accurate name. "Manic depression" makes it sound like it’s a type of depression, but really the whole deal with bipolar disorder is the swing between the two exaggerated emotional states.
Bipolar disorder can be frightening to deal with, and distressing to be around. The severity varies from person to person. Honestly, severity can come and go for one person. At its best, it's easily dealt with. At its worst - and left untreated - it can get pretty severe. But the good news is that there are medicines and therapies that can help, and many people with bipolar disorder lead fulfilling, successful lives.
Image: Josh Felise, via Unsplash.
Did you know...
- Do you know what the strongest muscle in your body is? No, it’s not your biceps or your thighs. It’s actually in your head. The masseter is a muscle in the jaw that is used when chewing. When all of the muscles of the jaw work together, they can exert a force as strong as 200 pounds on the molars. That’s some serious pressure.
- Starting to feel claustrophobic? The smells of apples may help keep your claustrophobic feelings at bay according to a 1995 study by Dr. Alan Hirsch. Green apples, specifically, helped people change their perception of their space. Maybe they thought of expansive apple orchards? Cucumbers and barbecue made the feelings worse.
- Need a quick cool down? Try drinking some hot liquid. It's true! As counterintuitive as it may seem, the heat from hot liquids will raise your body temperature. This will heat you up and cause you to sweat. The increased perspiration will wind up helping you feel cooler as it evaporates. Try it out!
- Just saying the words "thank you" can measurably improve your mood. Researchers can actually measure happiness and changes in brain structure when people practiced regular "grateful thinking." This included things like writing thank you notes, writing gratitude journal entries, mindfully counting their blessings, and thanking friends. It may be helpful in overcoming depression!
- Does your job make you stressed? We all know that stress is psychologically bad for you, but it also has an effect on…your allergies? A Harvard Medical School study has shown that stress causes your allergies to become worse because your body's defense response loses efficacy when repeatedly triggered by stress. Then, when you really need to physically fight something off, you're less able to!