Bipolar Disease Facts and Myths

Recently there has been a lot of media attention in the press and on television about bipolar disease as more people are starting to be diagnosed with the illness. Many people also believe that bipolar disease is a new psychological illness that has only just been discovered in the past 5 – 10 years but this is incorrect. Previously bipolar disease was known as manic depression and many people may still call it this and that is where some of the confusion can stem from. There are also a lot of myths that surround the illness which people actually believe to be true. Here are some facts and myths about bipolar disease which should help people to understand a little more about it.

Facts

·         Bipolar disease can affect anyone at any age, although it is not as common in children as it is in adults.

·         People who are bipolar tend to have fluctuating moods which can swing between incredible highs and lows.

·         Bipolar disease can be quite safely controlled with the correct medication and on some occasions, cognitive behavioural therapy.

·         People who have bipolar disease have a higher chance of having children who will go on to be diagnosed with bipolar disease themselves – but this should not stop them from having children as it will not happen in every case.

·         People diagnosed as being bipolar are perfectly able to have a job and function normally, particularly when they have the right medication and are able to stabilise their mood swings.

·         Bipolar disease can have different types and levels of severity, not everyone who is bipolar will exhibit exactly the same symptoms as each other.

Myths

·         People with bipolar disease are not mad – they have fluctuating moods which need to be stabilised with the correct medical help.

·         Being diagnosed as being bipolar does not mean that a person is likely to commit suicide although depression is part of the symptoms.

·         Bipolar disease can’t be caught from someone who has it.

·         People who are bipolar do not have to be ‘sectioned’ in hospital during one of their highs or lows. This can happen but only in very severe cases when a person has not received the correct treatment or is refusing to take their medication.

·         Taking drugs will not ‘give’ you bipolar disorder but it can play a part in the mood swings that people with bipolar have if they take stimulants like cocaine. In other words they do not help the situation if someone is bipolar.

Hopefully these facts will have given you a better indication of what having bipolar disease means to those who suffer from it and separated fact from myth. People with bipolar disease are not mad and dangerous; they are people who have unbalanced moods which need careful medical attention for them to stay on an even level. Without this they can have extreme highs and lows which can make daily life very difficult for them and this needs to be understood.