People with bipolar disorder and their loved ones have basically been told that the disorder is one of a chemical imbalance of the brain and/or a mood disorder characterized by extreme mood swings. However, bipolar disorder really is much more than that.
In truth, bipolar disorder is actually quite historical. It has roots that go as far back as the second century AD, when a man named Aretaeus first discovered that manic and depressive symptoms may be linked.
Bipolar disorder is not only mental, or having to do with your mind, but is physiological as well, because it can also affect your body.
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.
Believing that bipolar disorder has biological roots, scientists are currently studying genes they think may cause the disorder. If they find the specific gene or genes that are linked to the disorder, they will be steps away from a cure. Of course, there is great debate in the scientific community about the validity of this research, and there is quite a long way to go before a cure can be found.
Your doctor might tell you that the disorder has a medical element to it as well. When you are in a bipolar depressive episode, there is a greater risk of physical symptoms; such as: body aches, headaches, stomach aches, backaches, etc.
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.
As many studies have shown, bipolar disorder is hereditary and may be passed down through families.
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.
As with many disorders, bipolar disorder has a very personal element to it, as well. Because there is such a stigma in our current society against mental illness, many people with bipolar disorder choose to keep the truth of their disorder to themselves. It becomes an intensely personal thing, and they may not tell others they even suffer from the disorder.
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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