When you are first diagnosed with bipolar disorder, it sometimes takes several months to find the medication or combination of medications that work for you.  There are a lot of patients out there who are looking for the best bipolar disorder medications possible.  There is a lot of buzz lately about the medication Lamictal, so I thought that I would give you a little information on it.

» Continue reading “Lamictal for Bipolar Disorder”

Everyone gets sad every now and then, but sometimes the sadness turns into a blackness that cannot be ignored. When the sadness is uncontrollable and is taking over your life, you might be experiencing symptoms of bipolar depression. » Continue reading “Symptoms of Bipolar Depression”

Everyone has seen the horror stories.  A lady with bipolar disorder murders her whole family.  A guy with severe mood swings kills himself.  It goes on and on.  You become worried that because you threw your shoes against the wall when you were angry that you might be bipolar and you have the capacity to commit atrocities.  But, what really are the bipolar signs?

» Continue reading “Bipoler Signs”

There are people all around the world who are suffering from bipolar disorder and are wondering about the bipolar disorder causes.  Why me? What caused this? The exact cause of bipolar disorder has still not been discovered, but most doctors believe that there are multiple causes which act together to cause the disorder.

Most doctors agree that bipolar disorder results from a chemical imbalance within the brain.  This balance should be controlled by neurotransmitters. When the neurotransmitters are not working correctly, an imbalance of norepinephrine may occur, causing the onset of bipolar disorder.  When these levels skyrocket, bipolar mania occurs. When they drop down, patients experience depression.

Bipolar disorder is known to be genetic. If one
family member has bipolar disorder, there is a very good chance that other family members will develop it. The identical twin of a person with bipolar disorder is at the
highest risk for developing the condition. In most cases, stress, drug use, an illness or some other outside event triggers the disorder, which has been latent in the patient.  The disease does not occur just because of one gene, and the cause of the disease is likely a combination of multiple genetic and environmental factors.

Everyone has mood swings, but not everyone has bipolar disorder.  Regular mood swings have many causes, including the following:

• Head trauma (blood clot or
  bleeding in the brain)

• Thyroid problem (both underactive and overactive)
• Systemic lupus erythematosus
  (a condition that may affect various body organs, including the brain)

• Brain tumor
• Epilepsy (seizures)
• Neurosyphilis (a form of the sexually transmitted disease, syphilis, that has
  gone to the brain because it went untreated too long)

• AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, the ultimate result of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV)
• Sodium imbalance
  (sodium, one of several elements found in body cells that is necessary for
  their proper function)

• Diabetes mellitus (a
  disorder of, among other things, sugar processing in the body)

• Certain medications that decrease the amount of serotonin or norepinephrine, such as some antihypertensive drugs and some preparations of steroids and birth control pills.

These causes should be treated on their own, not treated with medication for bipolar disorder causes.  It is important to find a doctor who is experienced enough to tell the difference.

The house of manic is situated on the corner of criminal activity and euphoria.

There is a lizard queen here.  She rides around on roller skates with a bottle of vodka.  We worship her because she is out standard of normalcy.

There are no beds here, no sleep - only bar stools that spin and spin.   - Molecules that bounce, unaltered by conventional ways of thinking.
» Continue reading “A little Bit of Poetry today - by Me.”

There are a lot of folks out there who are searching for information on Bipolar ADHD.  In fact, the two are quite related! There are many similarities including impulsiveness, hyperactivity, frequent changes in mood and behavior and learning problems. Other similarities include restless sleep and family histories that include both disorders.  Many times doctors and patients have a hard time telling bipolar disorder and ADHD apart.

There are several differences between Bipolar and ADHD that you can look for.

1. Destructiveness - Children with ADHD tend to break things because they are careless or moving to fast to be careful with their things.  Bipolar children often break things out of anger.
2. Anger - Anger in people with ADHD tends to last 20 minutes or less and then they will move on to another emotion, or simply get over it. Those with bipolar have trouble overcoming anger and will tend to be angry for 30 minutes up to 2 hours.
3. Sleep Patterns - Those with ADHD often have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep.  Those with Bipolar Disorder often tend to wake up due to nightmares and often have a fear of falling asleep.
4. Treatment - Lithium will often help those with Bipolar Disorder but usually has no effect on those with ADHD.

Though there are many differences in Bipolar and ADHD, these two disorders can occur simultaneously in an unfortunate few.  This is often very difficult to diagnose.  ADHD gets diagnosed much more freqently than bipolar disorder and there are many physicians who think that those with bipolar often get misdiagnosed with ADHD.  This is why it is very important to find a doctor who will listen closely to what you are saying and do a thorough evaluation.

When you have bipolar disorder, it’s essential that you have the opportunity to communicate with others who suffer from the same disorder.  There are many online bipolar chat rooms that you can visit and talk to other people who are going through the same things that you are.  When you need some comfort and understanding, you might want to visit one of these bipolar chat rooms.

» Continue reading “Finding Bipolar Chat Services”

Are you dealing with a bipolar spouse?  How do you handle the severe mood swings, depression and mania?  Here’s your chance to share your experience with others.

» Continue reading “Bipolar Spouse? How do you Cope?”

Anyone with bipolar disorder will tell you that it’s not the depression that will kill you, it’s the mania.  When you’re depressed, you don’t feel like doing anything at all, but when you’re suffering from bipolar mania, your life can get crazier than you ever thought.

» Continue reading “Bipolar Mania and Sex”