Goethe, Graham Greene, Mark twain, Edgar Allan poe, Virginia Woolf, Eliot, Hugo, Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Tennyson, Walt Whitman, Sylvia plath….
Handel and Beethoven
Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill
Vivien Leigh, Marilyn Monroe, Linda Hamilton …
Tim Burton, Coppola, Mel Gibson, Van Damme, Jim carey, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Junior, Richard Dreyfuss, Robin Williams …
Ted Turner
Vincent Van Gogh
Florence Nightingale …
What is common to all these people?
Did you say these guys are famous? Yes that is obvious so that of course is not the expected answer. Then what else?
Guess what, they all suffer/ed Bipolar disorder.
What is bipolar disorder then? Is it a disorder which makes people famous and successful in various arenas? One might ask this question after looking at above list of people with luminous careers. If the answer was yes to that then ‘I want to be bipolar’ would be on many people’s wish list and we would call it ‘Bipolar the higher order’. There are research studies which have explored the phenomenon of extra ordinary genius associated with bipolar. There is no conclusive evidence as to the order of the occurrence – meaning – whether bipolar people are more creative because of bipolar or whether more creative people tend to become bipolar!
Though it seems glamorous after being associated with the who and who of all spheres, Bipolar is not a glamorous disorder.
According to one definition given by a doctor we know, Bipolar disorder is getting stuck for a longer period of time in one sort of mood (either in the pole of aggression or in the pole of depression) and then move from there gradually to get stuck in the opposite pole, then move from there gradually to get stuck in the first pole then move from there gradually … you get the idea? This journey looks like a wave. Up and down, up and down, up and down…
I have a heroic fellow in my family who rode these waves for long and then crashed into the hospital and now is in the process of mastering the wave. I want to tell him what I feel about him now.
Dear fellow,
• Though I do not understand many times what you are feeling and thinking, I am with you no matter what.
• I react based on my previous images and I hurt you unknowingly because I do not know how to freely communicate my fears with you. Forgive me for this. I am becoming more aware about this and I will definitely change as the time goes
• I know for a fact that you are talented, creative, inquisitive, diligent and a thinker who always thinks beyond the box and I want you to remember that always.
• I am there as a support whenever you need me. Let us be communicative over mails, phones, walks and talks and not stick to one type of reaching out. Let us go for dinner during the first week of the month. Just you and me. Is it a deal?
• I am going through lots of stuff these days, being the solo coordinator, managing my anxiety, being aware of and getting out of my addictions, being there for venky when he is in transition and taking charge of my life. Please consider these if at all you feel that I am not attentive to you. I do not mean it and I want to be there. At this juncture, I can not handle surprises and need a holler before that.
• I love you and as I wanted always to be your ‘Flag’ I want you to be my ‘Eagle’ and soar high with majesty and brilliance.
Dear readers, I am pasting the famous tips shared by famous people who are managing their Bipolarity. In case you want to share this with people you know who need it. There is a word of caution as this is shared by people who manage their disorder, this need not be a scientific guide but please look at this more like sharing.
Tip 1: Take charge of your treatment plan. Be in tune with the doctor.
Tip 2: Know your triggers and warning signs
a. For knowing your triggers please reflect and keep a mood journal
b. Warnings- Financial troubles, work – keeping one or getting one, relationships status – fluctuation between like and dislike and sleep status – lack of it shows a movement towards aggression, more of it is towards depression.
Tip 3: Have an emergency action plan – Discuss with your family about when you think they should hospitalize you. This will lessen the trauma the family feels during episodes and this gives more scope for immediate medical attention for you.
Tip 4: Develop an active daily routine – structuring the day helps in observing, managing and monitoring the moods better and exercise reduces the stress levels.
Tip 5: For sleep schedule – No caffeine after lunch and no alcohol in the night. These prevent from sleeping.
Tip 6: Warning signs of relapse – Depression related
a. I no longer want to be around people
b. I crave chocolate/alcohol/any other substance
c. Head aches
d. I think people bother me or annoy me
e. I need more naps during the day – I want to sleep more
Tip 7: Warning signs of relapse – Aggression related
a. I can do 5 things at once
b. I can not concentrate so well
c. I talk faster and more than usual
d. I feel irritable
e. I am hungry all the time
f. I need to move around because I have more energy than usual
g. I feel that ‘I do not need medicine’ any more
Most important thing is to know that bipolarity is never a chosen state.
