Straight Talk About Bipolar Disease

By Samantha DavisAn estimated 2 million Americans suffer from bipolar disease.Unfortunately, many of them make the walk alone, with fewothers understanding this condition and its impacts on aperson's life. The reality is many people mistakenly believe those sufferingfrom bipolar disease have control over their behavior. Theyblame the mood swings on other things and expect for a personto have the ability to "snap out of it" or "get it together." Sadly, with a misdiagnoses rate that is extremely high and abiological root for the condition, getting bipolar diseaseunder wraps isn't as easy as many would like to think. Thereare some basic things about bipolar disease anyone with afriend, loved one or co-worker should know. These include: * A person is not in control. When this disease goes withouttreatment, the person suffering from it really does not havecontrol of the mood swings or the symptoms that might arisefrom them. * It is not totally psychological. Counseling will not curethis disease. In fact, bipolar symptoms are tied to a chemicalimbalance in the brain. This means there is a biological root,although not understood, that leads to the periods of ups anddowns. * This condition presents in swings. The key to spottingbipolar disorder over clinical depression lies in the fact thatvery abrupt and dramatic mood swings are present. Thosesuffering from the disorder will present with both manic anddepressive symptoms at times. It's even possible they willbehave quite normally, or middle of the road, at others. * There is no known cure. It is currently impossible to "fix"the chemical imbalance in the brain and end the possibility forsymptoms all together. * It is treatable. Those who suffer from this condition andobtain a correct diagnosis can, in fact, lead very normallives. With the correct medications, the mood swings can bebrought into check or eliminated entirely. * People who suffer from this condition are not "crazy." Whilethey may act off at times, their actions have a biological, notpsychological root. * The condition's potential side effects can be serious. In andof itself the condition is not fatal, but the various moodswings can have very grave results. Those in a manic phase, forexample, might do something completely out of character and takerisks that can lead to accidents, injury and even death. In thedepressive phase, some people take their own lives. * It's an easy condition to get under control. This is rightand wrong. Once the correct diagnosis has been made, it ispossible to bring the symptoms into complete check throughmaintenance medications. Unfortunately, the misdiagnosis ratefalls in around 70 percent, so completely getting bipolardisease under control can be a very tricky proposition indeed.It is important that the mood swings be documented and broughtup to a doctor. Persistence is often key in having the rightdiagnosis made. Living with bipolar disease isn't easy. Many of those whosuffer do so alone. When friends, family and even co-workerstake the time to understand it better, they are in a betterposition to help.About the Author: For more information on bipolar, try visitinghttp://www.bipolardetails.com - a website that specializes inproviding bipolar related tips and resources to includeinformation on bipolar disease.Source: http://www.isnare.com