Studies have shown that 25 to 50 percent of people with bipolar disorder (manic depression) attempt suicide.  This means that bipolar disorder often ends in an early death. Thus, early diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder should be considered an urgent matter.

» Continue reading “Bipolar Disorder: Suicide Risks”

Many people write to me and ask if I can help them figure out if they have bipolar disorder.  I alway recommend that they see a qualifed doctor, but folks still want a bipolar disorder questionnaire.  So, for those people, I STILL recommend that you see a doctor, but here is a littel questionnarie for you to look at in the meantime.

1. Do you sometimes realize that you are talking very fast and that your mind is racing?

2. Do friends and family often tell you that you are exhausting to be around?

3. Do you go through periods where I get lots and lots of work done, followed by periods where I don’t want to do anything at all?

4. Do you frequently feel as though your mind is racing and you are very irritable?

5. Do you often experience days of extreme sadness or depression?

6. Do your mood swings affect your quality of life?

7. Are you highly interested in sex during some periods, causing you to do things that you would not normally do?

8. Do you have extreme variations in the quality of work that you put out?

9. Do you sometimes, for no reason, feel very hostile or angry?

10. Do you have periods when you feel as if you are in a mental fog and other periods when you feel extremely creative?

If you answered yes to at least 6 of these questions, you might have bipolar disorder.  This is in no way a diagnosis.  You should still see a qualified physician - the sooner the better. 

If you have friends or family that you suspect have bipolar disorder, send them this bipolar disorder questionnaire to answer and you might be able to open their eyes. 

The largest study ever to track bipolar disorder and schizophrenia within families offers evidence that the two psychiatric disorders share a common genetic cause.

The psychiatric community has long debated whether or not schizophrenia and bipolar are related..and if they are, how interconnected were they? Are they two distinct disorders or not?

Many bipolar patients have symptoms that are characteristic of schizophrenia. Scientists wanted to know: Where is the line between bipolar and schizophrenia?

» Continue reading “Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder - How Linked are They?”