A condition that can wreak havoc on the life of the person that has it, and the lives those around the person. People with bipolar feel depression worse than death. Feelings of extreme loss, guilt, and utter helplessness can only begin to describe the misery these people experience. It is due to this unexplainable misery that many people with bipolar, sadly, end up committing suicide.
The other side of bipolar (the suffix "bi" indicating two things) is mania. Mania includes feelings of superhuman powers and extreme joy... to the point of being hyper. The person's mind goes a million miles an hour and he or she can keep going for days with little or no sleep.
Having cyclothymia myself, I can only begin to understand how these people feel.
Because people with bipolar cannot control the way they feel, and might be close to suicide at times, it is of utmost importance that everyone around them be as supportive as possible rather than deject them as a "psycho." ...as if the person actually has any control over their actions with such out of control emotions.
The other side of bipolar (the suffix "bi" indicating two things) is mania. Mania includes feelings of superhuman powers and extreme joy... to the point of being hyper. The person's mind goes a million miles an hour and he or she can keep going for days with little or no sleep.
Having cyclothymia myself, I can only begin to understand how these people feel.
Because people with bipolar cannot control the way they feel, and might be close to suicide at times, it is of utmost importance that everyone around them be as supportive as possible rather than deject them as a "psycho." ...as if the person actually has any control over their actions with such out of control emotions.
by Someone who actually knows what Bipolar is all about July 19, 2005
Mental Illness that is hard to understand. It is NOT a split-personality, and it does NOT include alter-egos. That is personality disorder/schizophrenia. When you are manic, it is the equivalent of being high. Its like driving very very fast without brakes. You usually cannot see that you are manic, and it really pisses you off when someone points it out to you. When you do realize you are manic, its after you've done/said something horrible. At this point, you feel that even if you get back in control, it is too late, you've already fucked up. This feeds the mania, and keeps it going. It is almost impossible to sleep when manic, and you get crazy ideas.
When you are depressed, it is horrible. The whole world is in shades of grey. No one can pull you out of it.
Bipolar should not always be viewed as negative. The way I see it, it is compensation. When someone is extremely smart, creative, or talented, it disrupts the balance in the brain. So, the brain must do something to restore the balance. ADD, Bipolar, Depression, etc. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Robert E. Lee, Beethoven, Buzz Aldrin, Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, Isaac Newton, Plato (according to Aristotle), St. Francis, St. John, St. Theresa, Mark Twain, T.S. Eliot, Sigmund Freud, Victor Hugo, I think you get the idea.
Just realize, every gift comes with a curse, and every curse comes with a gift.
If you take medicine, and practice self-control, you can harness your mania and channel it into a talent.
When you are depressed, it is horrible. The whole world is in shades of grey. No one can pull you out of it.
Bipolar should not always be viewed as negative. The way I see it, it is compensation. When someone is extremely smart, creative, or talented, it disrupts the balance in the brain. So, the brain must do something to restore the balance. ADD, Bipolar, Depression, etc. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Robert E. Lee, Beethoven, Buzz Aldrin, Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, Isaac Newton, Plato (according to Aristotle), St. Francis, St. John, St. Theresa, Mark Twain, T.S. Eliot, Sigmund Freud, Victor Hugo, I think you get the idea.
Just realize, every gift comes with a curse, and every curse comes with a gift.
If you take medicine, and practice self-control, you can harness your mania and channel it into a talent.
by eleanor-grace April 2, 2008
a term for someone with bipolar disorder or manic-depressive illness, a mood disorder characterized by periods of depression including:
-persistent sadness
-low energy
-hopelessness
-suicidal thoughts
as well as periods of mania in bipolar I disorder, or hypomania (a less extreme form) in bipolar II disorder. Symptoms of hypomania include:
-grandiose ideas
-racing thoughts
-reckless overindulgence
-high energy/decreased need for sleep
When hypomania escalates into mania, symptoms include:
-incomprehensibly fast thoughts/speech
-dangerously impulsive behavior
-possible psychosis
Contrary to popular belief, most people with bipolar disorder are not constantly fluctuating between extremes. They may experience normal moods for extended periods of time, and a single mood episode tends to last for a few weeks, though mania can quickly become depression and vice versa.
Another common misconception is that bipolar disorder is like depression, but with the bonus of hypomania. Depressive symptoms are equally severe in bipolar I and II disorders, but for people with bipolar I disorder, mania is at least as dangerous and frightening as depression.
Even for those people who experience relatively harmless highs, depression tends to immediately follow hypomania. Whereas major depression can be treated with therapy (as well as medication) and possibly never recur, there is no cure for bipolar disorder and therapy is of limited use. Bipolar disorder has a strong genetic basis and is usually found in families.
People with bipolar disorder are often stereotyped as screw-ups, drug addicts, etc. There is a strong link between bipolar disorder and substance abuse, but many people either recover from or avoid these problems altogether and lead relatively normal, responsible lives.
Your girlfriend when she is mad at you = not bipolar
Anyone bitchy or randomly moody = probably not bipolar
-persistent sadness
-low energy
-hopelessness
-suicidal thoughts
as well as periods of mania in bipolar I disorder, or hypomania (a less extreme form) in bipolar II disorder. Symptoms of hypomania include:
-grandiose ideas
-racing thoughts
-reckless overindulgence
-high energy/decreased need for sleep
When hypomania escalates into mania, symptoms include:
-incomprehensibly fast thoughts/speech
-dangerously impulsive behavior
-possible psychosis
Contrary to popular belief, most people with bipolar disorder are not constantly fluctuating between extremes. They may experience normal moods for extended periods of time, and a single mood episode tends to last for a few weeks, though mania can quickly become depression and vice versa.
Another common misconception is that bipolar disorder is like depression, but with the bonus of hypomania. Depressive symptoms are equally severe in bipolar I and II disorders, but for people with bipolar I disorder, mania is at least as dangerous and frightening as depression.
Even for those people who experience relatively harmless highs, depression tends to immediately follow hypomania. Whereas major depression can be treated with therapy (as well as medication) and possibly never recur, there is no cure for bipolar disorder and therapy is of limited use. Bipolar disorder has a strong genetic basis and is usually found in families.
People with bipolar disorder are often stereotyped as screw-ups, drug addicts, etc. There is a strong link between bipolar disorder and substance abuse, but many people either recover from or avoid these problems altogether and lead relatively normal, responsible lives.
Your girlfriend when she is mad at you = not bipolar
Anyone bitchy or randomly moody = probably not bipolar
The Rilo Kiley song "A Better Son/Daughter" is often thought to be about bipolar disorder:
And sometimes when you're on, you're really fucking on
And your friends, they sing along and they love you
But the lows are so extreme that the good seems fucking cheap
And it teases you for weeks in its absence
And sometimes when you're on, you're really fucking on
And your friends, they sing along and they love you
But the lows are so extreme that the good seems fucking cheap
And it teases you for weeks in its absence
by jasmocha October 16, 2006
People who are NORMAL, but just happen to get times when they feel unstoppable and other times when they feel down in the dumps. They are not FREAKS! They are not PSYCHOS!
by Raliah March 29, 2008
Commonly used to refer to bipolar disorder, a serious psychiatric illness marked by alternating periods of extreme elation or irritability (mania) and severe depression.
by Doc_B April 17, 2015
look at that polar bear he is so bipolar
by polar_blizzard November 1, 2009
Bipolar doesn't mean frequently changing your superficial moods (happy/sad) or having split personalities, it's a serious mental disorder in which you have periods of mania (an excited state) and depression (a low state). I'd know because my friend has it and almost committed suicide twice, so don't throw the word around like you know what it means. And no, people don't change from mania and depression in a blink of an eye. If you think you do, then you're just an emotional fuck.
Person 1: Omg, yesterday I was so happy and now I'm so depressed because my boyfriend broke up with me! I'm so bipolar!
Person 2: Kill yourself.
Person 2: Kill yourself.
by nyquildreams August 7, 2013