A Bipolar Guide and Ways to Cope
A Bipolar Guide and Ways to Cope
By @sellistens on 7 Cups.com
Bipolar affects many people and there’s a lot of people that don’t know how to cope. According to the World Health Organization, “In 2019, 40 million people experienced bipolar disorder” https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders#:~:text=In%202019%2C%2040%20million%20people,with%20periods%20of%20manic%20symptoms. Therefore, there are many people who are going through bipolar throughout the world, so you’re not alone! Again, many people don’t know a lot of ways to cope with this diagnosis. No reason to worry because the ultimate bipolar guide is here to help! Whether you're reading this because you have a loved one with bipolar, you have it yourself, or you want to learn more about bipolar, this article strives to teach you what bipolar is and ways you can recognize and reduce symptoms.
What is Bipolar Disorder?
It is important that you know what bipolar disorder is before continuing on with this article. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “Bipolar disorder (formerly called manic-depressive illness or manic depression) is a mental illness that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, activity levels, and concentration.” https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder#:~:text=Bipolar%20disorder%20. Therefore, bipolar disorder is a mood disorder, not a personality disorder.
Bipolar disorder is a chemical imbalance in the brain.
When someone experiences mania, the symptoms include:
🌟 racing thoughts
🌟 euphoria
🌟 fast speaking
🌟 risky decision making
🌟 restlessness (including being unable to sleep for long periods of time).
The nerve cells in a person’s brain are flooded with hormones like dopamine when they experience mania. Bipolar I experiences full blown mania while bipolar II experiences a less intense version of mania, called hypomania.
During depression, a person experiences:
🦋low mood
🦋tiredness
🦋sadness
🦋spiraling thoughts
🦋and sometimes even thoughts of self harm.
In the brain, hormones such as dopamine are not being released so there’s not enough hormones for the nerve cells to function properly.
Bipolar doesn’t discriminate, meaning anyone can get it. Even celebrities can.
According to webmd.com https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/ss/slideshow-celebrities-bipolar-disorder, some celebrities with bipolar include:
🎤Demi Lovato (singer): Bipolar 1
🎤Mariah Carey (singer): Bipolar 2
🎤Kurt Cobain (lead singer and guitarist of Nirvana): Bipolar (unknown type)
🎤Ted Turner (founder of CNN): Bipolar (unknown type)
Ways To Cope: How to Stop Bipolar in its Tracks!
In order to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, you need to have experienced at least one episode of depression and one episode of mania. A very effective coping skill is for the person with bipolar and the support system to recognize their symptoms before another episode begins.
💡Activity💡
💡Think about the times where you’ve experienced mania or depression:
💡Then, write down what your warning signs are. A warning sign is a symptom of mania or depression such as racing thoughts or consistent low mood.
If you are experiencing warning signs and/or have also experienced a trigger, talk to your support system. We will be going over what a support system is in the next paragraph.
Support Systems and Finding the Right Medication Combinations
It’s very important to have the right support system. This includes family members, friends, a significant other, a psychiatrist, and a therapist. There is also a lot of support given here on 7 Cups such as talking with listeners, finding a therapist, and talking to our beautiful community.
Medication is the first line of defense for stopping episodes in their tracks. If you haven’t found the right combination of medication, keep searching! Everyone reacts differently to medication so usually a combination of medications works best when handling bipolar disorder.
💡Activity💡
💡Write down your medications and talk to your psychiatrist about them. Are there any medications that are not working well for you? Are you experiencing any symptoms from the medications that you don’t like? Are you experiencing any warning signs or had a trigger recently?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy (also known as CBT) is used to explore thoughts which influence feelings, bodily sensations and behaviors. Here is a picture of what cognitive behavioral therapy looks like according to The Evidence Based Therapy Centre. https://www.ebtc.ie/cognitive-behavioural-therapy/cbt-diagram/
Cognitive behavioral therapy strives to help the person recognize the cycle and to break it. The only way to break the cycle is to change your thought process. Reframing thoughts is the best way to do this.
💡Activity💡
Conclusion
In conclusion, bipolar disorder is a mood disorder where the person goes through periods of depression and mania/hypomania. Figuring out what your triggers and warning signs are can be helpful when tracking your behaviors during these periods of depression and mania. Also, talking to your support system about these triggers and warning signs such as family members, friends or healthcare teams (psychiatrists and therapists) can be beneficial. Talking to your psychiatrist about medication combinations can significantly help stop episodes. Lastly, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be helpful when figuring out how your thought process affects your behaviors and reframing those thoughts is a good coping skill. Thank you for reading and I wish you all the best!
🧐Discussion🧐
🧐What was your favorite part about this article? Which coping skill do you find the most helpful?
💗 Feel free to respond to others (make sure you are being supportive and kind please)
About the Writer : @sellistens
Sel, also known as sellistens, is a dedicated listener on 7 Cups who has 3 years of experience and has a 5 star rating with over 30 positive reviews. Sel is a certified Personal Support Worker who takes an empathetic approach when working with residents and does the same when talking with members on 7 Cups. She is currently a Content Development and Marketing student and a Quality Listening student at 7 Cups Academy. Sel has a deep understanding of the importance of mental health, and strives to help anyone who comes in her path.
@sellistens
References
World Health Organization
Who.int
National Institute of Mental Health
Nimh.nih.gov
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder#:~:text=Bipolar%20disorder%20(formerly%20called%20manic,day%2Dto%2Dday%20tasks.
Webmd
Webmd.com
https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/ss/slideshow-celebrities-bipolar-disorder
The Evidence Based Therapy Centre
Ebtc.ie
https://www.ebtc.ie/cognitive-behavioural-therapy/cbt-diagram/
@sellistens
Sel did an awesome job at this article.
Great job compiling all the helpful information and coping ways!💗
Thank you so much! I'm really passionate about spreading awareness for mental health so this means a lot💕
@sellistens
That's quite admirable, thank you for all you do!
I wonder if you've checked out the recent community update post, here, if you haven't: https://www.7cups.com/forum/siteupdates/MonthlyCommunityUpdates_2602/September2023CommunityUpdate_312119/
@soulfullyabutterfly mentioned the following in her update:
"We have also created a Community Advocate badge for those interested in being forum supporters with a focus on adding therapeutic content in the forums, a project which has helped bring helpful activities and discussions in the community."
Sel, I feel this sounds like a great opportunity aligned with your interests and gifts, if you'd like to consider or follow through on it, I'm cheering for you!💖
@sellistens
What a great guide, Sel!
I learned a lot from this!
Congratulations and thank you for your contributions!
Marcelo.