Bipolar Disorder

I thought this week in psych was particularily interesting. Learning about the diseases was intriguing and easy to read about. One of the disorders, bipolar disorder, peaked my interest. As a young child, one of my neighborhood friends had bipolar disorder. (Although I didn't know this until years later, I did pick up on the syptoms, even though I was young.) The way the book describes the disorder as a mix of depression and manic tendencies seems a little extreme, however, it was completely on point for the way my former neighbor acted. When we played together, she would always be super hyper. Normal for a child you say? Well, not her actions, they were over the top. On those days, she would never get tired and was always on the go. Other days when I would ask to play with her, her mom would say she was tired or sleeping. What!? In the middle of the day, in the summer? But these symptoms were not unusual for her because the disorder basically controlled her actions. Coincidentally this week, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones went to treatment for bipolar disorder and kind of put a public face on it. Not that it is great she has the disease of course, but I think this is positive for all the Americans struggling with it day to day. If this successful actress can deal with it and is "normal," this gives others with the disorder hope of living normal, productive lives as well. Also, it takes the stigma away from the disorder and puts it in the limelight, giving clueless Americans a little insight. The article states it perfectly by saying that bipolar disorder is "not a character flaw." Many people get uncomfortable when talking about mental health and various little known disorders so I think it is awesome that she isn't ashamed about her need for treatment because there is no reason she should be. Way to take a stand and give a voice to other Americans with bipolar disorder!