The Highs & Lows of Bipolar Disorders. Nothing new, just a new name for Manic Depressive. Then 5,000 number of years ago that manic-depressive disorder was documented. Now 5.7M adult Americans affected by bipolar disorder (or 2.6% of population) today. 25 average age for beginning of bipolar disorder. 50/50 men and women get bipolar equally, but women are three times more likely to experience rapid cycling with B.D. Bipolar disorder is 6th leading cause of disability in the world. 9.2 number of years subtracted from your lifespan if you have B.D. 8 in 10 number of those with B.D. who think about suicide at least once in their life. 1 in 12 number of those in general who will think about suicide in their life. A Worldwide Condition. Number of people with bipolar disorder in: Australia = 238,957. UK = 723,248. Germany = 989,095. Canada = 390,094. Iran = 810,038. India and China each have 12 to 15 million people who are bipolar. Cause Unknown (Mayo Clinic). Theories: biological differences in their brains. Neurotransmitter imbalance. An inherited trait. Diagnosis Facts: 70% people with bipolar who receive at least 1 misdiagnosis. 25% people who receive correct diagnosis within 3 years. 23% chance that a child will be bipolar if 1 parent is. 66% chance when both parents are bipolar. Signs and Symptoms: Mania: inflated self-esteem or grandiosity, unusual talkativeness, racing thoughts, distractibility, agitation, unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions or foolish business investments, unusual behavior with high potential for painful consequences. Depression: depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, such as feeling sad, empty, hopeless or tearful, can appear as irritability, markedly reduced interest or feeling no pleasure, feeling worthless, decreased ability to concentrate or indecisiveness, recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide planning or attempt, significant weight loss when not dieting, weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite, either insomnia or sleeping excessively, fatigue. Fact: 25% of those diagnosed with bipolar disorder commit suicide. Getting help: If you think you may hurt yourself call 911. Call a suicide hotline number – in the US call (800) 273-8255 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK www.suicidepreventionlifelife.org. Use same number, press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line. Other options: Reach out to a close friend or loved one. Contact a minister or spiritual leader. Make an appointment with your doctor, mental health provider or other health care provider. Treatment Options: Medication (mood stabilizers, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety meds), Psychological counseling (psychotherapy), Light and Dark therapy (focus on sleep-wake cycle), Education (managing symptoms) Lifestyle management (avoid alcohol & drugs, minimize stress), Mindfulness meditation, Acupuncture, Electroconvulsive therapy (in the most severe cases), Support (from trained groups, plus family and friends). Famous Celebs with Bipolar Disorder: Demi Lovato – actress, pop singer. Carrie Fisher – actress, Princess Leia, Jean-Claude Van Damme – rugged action star, Linda Hamilton – actress, Terminator 2, Sinead O-Connor – Irish rock star, Vincent Van Gogh – according to Doctor Who, the best artist in the history of the Universe. Brought to you by topcounselingschools.org. Sources: healthresearchfunding.org/40-profound-bipolar-disorder-suicide-statistics, statisticbrain.com/bipolar-disorder-statistics, nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml, mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/basics/causes/con-20027544
Infographic by TopCounselingSchools.org

Sources


Comments

12 responses to “Bipolar Disorder Infographic”

  1. It is an awesome graphic!

  2. Thanks for sharing, Vic.

  3. Reblogged this on Just Plain Ol' Vic and commented:
    Some great information here. If you or someone that you care for has bi-polar disorder, please be sure to give this a look.

  4. My pleasure. Sharing it was easy. Adding the alt text to the image was a lot of work, though. I try to keep different disabilities in mind when adding images and video (blindness, deafness).

  5. Wow, so much helpful information! Thanks for sharing!

  6. Poor guy……will keep you both in my thoughts!!! Glad he’s able to sleep now….

  7. Thank you for sharing the comment and the link. Too often we gloss over some of the symptomatic behaviors of bipolar disorder. Does no one a service to not address hypersexuality or aggression, for that matter. Hypersexuality destroys lives, destroys relationships, destroys families. Thank you.

  8. Thank you, Lizzy. You are a very dear friend to take the time to educate yourself about bipolar disorder. It’s hard to explain to your loved ones how you experience the world. I find it easier to write about it.

  9. Thanks. His headache did lift. Meds and prayers helped. He’s sleeping now. Said he couldn’t sleep last night.

  10. This infographic is amazingly helpful but lately I’ve been a really big advocate for discussions about hypersexuality as a huge symptom of hypomania. It affects 25 to 80 percent of all patients with mania and bipolar women have it more often than men. From personal experience, it’s distracting and dangerous; especially for people in relationships. A quote I really like from the article I attached in this comment says, “while hypersexuality is listed as one of the primary symptoms of bipolar in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition), may psychiatrists refer to it almost as an afterthought – if at all – when forming a diagnosis”. Not to burst anyone’s bubble but there needs to be more about that in the DSM-V and more open discussion between psychiatrists and patients…
    ..Again. Sorry for the tangent. Just something that I feel strongly about.
    http://www.mdjunction.com/forums/bipolar-support-forums/general-support/2582227-bipolar-hypersexuality

  11. Hey there, Kitt! Very interesting. Thank you for the education as I follow your posts. You are helping me to better understand my friend who struggles with bipolar. May the Lord God bless you in your ministry to help others better understand this illness. Enjoy your day!

  12. Very helpful information – thanks for sharing! Hope that M.’s migraine is better today, prayed for him yesterday. And for you. love you!

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