Good Reads to Find Out More About Mental Illness

A real story about a young high school going through a transition into college and realizing that she is suffering from a severe mental illness. Her journey goes through her struggles as a college student and being able to reach out to her family when she realizes she needs help. \

A story of the author's journey through schizophrenia and how he learns to deal with it and overcome the obstacles that life has to offer. 

A story of a man who gives a humorous point of view to a very serious topic. Author Mark Vonnegut talks about how he leans to deal with mental illness and how there is a more to life than he thought there was. 

How To Get Involved

For those of you that have some connection to mental illness or want to learn more about it , it would be a great idea to join an organization and volunteer part of your time to listen to the stories of others and be mindful of what they are going through. I have listed some organizations that may be interesting to some of you .

1. NAMI
2. Samaritans
3. WHO- Mental Health
4. Mental Health America

Symtoms and Treatment Options for Bipolar Disorder

"MmIn Bipolar disorder each person is different. Even their symptoms vary along with the intensity of their disease. The National Institute of Mental Health states the symptoms in the chart below showing symptoms that coincide with mania and depression.

The treatment options available change depending upon the need of each person. In most cases Anticonvulsants are given in order to control the moods and prevent the occurrence of seizures. Valproic acid, lamotrigine, and lithium are commonly used anticonvulsants that help to calm the person down. There are also antipsychotic drugs which are used together with anti depressants .However, both these types of medications have include side effects such as headache, nausea, agitation, drowsiness, blurred vision, sensitivity to sun, menstrual problems, and bloating.
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What are the causes of Bipolar Disorder?

Although mental disorders have become more common in the recent years , the research surrounding the causes of bipolar disorder is still in it's beginning stages .Researchers have found that Bipolar disorder is caused by problems with brain circuits and imbalance of neurotransmitters. They have found that the neurotransmitters Noradrenaline and Serotonin have serious affects on both depression and Bipolar. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter that causes learning, memory, impulsive, and sleep cycles.Serotonin amounts are said to affect the transmission of chemical messengers to the brain. 

Brain Imaging does not accurately determine the occurrence of mental disorder in brain. 

Research has also shown that genetics also plays a huge role in whether a family member can also receive the disease. John Hopkins research concluded that" 40% of the 47 first-degree relatives of the bipolar II patients also had bipolar II disorder; 22% of the 219 first-degree relatives of the bipolar I patients had bipolar II disorder."This shows that family history of mental illness plays role in the future health of that individual. Studies also show that parents , who had ADHD growing up were more likely to have children with bipolar disorder.

Not only does genetics play a role in mental disorders, but lifestyle also changes the chemical makeup of the brain. Substance abuse, alcoholism, and lack of sleep can cause increased anxiety and tension for the individual. 

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British researchers have also found that three parts of the brain are primarily responsible for the getting the disease: the amygdala, hippocampus, and the - the cingulate gyrus. These three parts of the brain functioned differently in comparison to those with a normal functioning brain. These three parts which make up the limbic system are responsible for "emotion, motivation, memory and fear - the classic maladaptions of manic depressives."

Stages of Bipolar Disorder

When most people think of the disease Bipolar they don't realize that it is the result of six stages. The six stages determine in which stage on the spectrum , each person fits into. Rather than just creating a generalized term for someone who has been diagnosed with Bipolar, psychiatrists and psychologists use a six stage scale to find out where their patients are. This scale shows two integral parts to Bipolar: Depression and Mania. 

In the first stage , the individual experiences extreme emotion changes which can either by classified as the beginning to depression or mania. In depression, one will most likely experience suicidal thoughts while in mania , the person is unable to control the state of their emotions. 

In the management stage the mind tries to heal itself from losing control completely and is preventing itself from reaching the crisis stage. 

In the recovery phase, the mind is recovering and trying to stabilize the state of emotions in depression and mania. 

In the freedom stage , bipolar starts to get out of the conscious state and the manic and depression state return to functional states in increased strength. 

Once the person is in the stage of stability , the individual is considered to be suffering from Bipolar disorder. In this state , the individual is unaware of his or her actions and does not sense a change in themselves.

Self- Mastery is the stage in which only a select few individuals are able to achieve. To attain a state of Self- Mastery, one must have complete patience and control of their mind and be able to prevent it from changing. 

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Basics of Bipolar

In today's day and age having a mental disorder has created a stigma in society. In the recent years Bipolar has been said to be seen in 2.6 of the U.S. population who are over the age of eighteen. Bipolar has affected both men and women equally and has shortened the life span of the person by nine years. It is often heard by people that the term Bipolar is just used to describe a person whose personality switches between two poles. Although this is not completely wrong, this concept does not encompass the stages which lead to Bipolar and the biological effects on the individual's brain. It is misconception among many that Bipolar is a disorder that a person brings upon him or herself. It is disease just like any other caused by a problem in the brain. Although it's effects on the body  don't appear visible to the human eye, it has just as much significance. Bipolar affects the integral centers of our brain and obstructs us from being able to think properly and make our own decisions. It is a state when an individual's brain has taken over it's sense of consciousness and starts to do things opposite of what they would normally do. In the upcoming posts, please look forward to learning more about Bipolar. Through this blog I hope I can erase the stigma that many individuals like yourself might have about the disease. 

    

Varada

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