Most people with bipolar disorder and their loved ones have usually been told that bipolar is a chemical imbalance of the brain or a mood disorder that can be characterized by extreme mood swings. What bipolar disorder is, though, is really so much more than that.
First of all, bipolar disorder is historical. Its roots go back as far as the second century A.D., when a man named Aretaeus first recognized manic and depressive symptoms and believed that they were linked.
The disorder is physiological, since it has to do with your body, but mental as well, since it has to do with your mind.
Sometimes bipolar disorder is considered a neurological problem since it is associated with your brain, but it can also be termed a chemical imbalance of the brain, and be considered a physical disorder.
Scientists who research the disorder can tell you that it has biological roots, as they are even now studying genes that may cause bipolar disorder. If they discover the specific gene or genes involved in the disorder, they believe it may lead to a cure. Of course, there is great debate in the scientific community, and research still to be done before a cure can be found.
You may find that your doctor will tell you that your bipolar disorder has a medical element, as well. There is a greater risk of physical symptoms (body aches, headaches, backaches, stomach aches, etc.) when you are in a bipolar depressive episode than when you are not.
Psychiatrists, of course, confirm that Bipolar Disorder is a psychiatric illness. The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) was probably what your psychiatrist used to diagnose you with the disorder in the first place.
Bipolar disorder is also hereditary, as many studies have shown. It is passed down through the family.
For certain, bipolar disorder is definitely an emotional disorder. As anyone who has bipolar disorder can tell you, your moods may swing from depression to mania and back again, and there is little you can do to control it. There are also emotional side effects that can include anxiety, stress, and insomnia.
There is also a personal element to bipolar disorder, and to other mental illnesses, as well. There is such a stigma in our society toward disorders and the people who suffer with them, that many people will keep the truth of their disorder to themselves. They will not tell others they have it, and will keep their disorder a very personal thing.
Bipolar disorder is truly more than a chemical imbalance of the brain or a mere mood disorder. It is both of these things – and more.
David Oliver has the #1 website for bipolar information, symptoms, causes, medications and treatments.
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