-> @collectmyposts for additional art reblogs (I rb to my main as well I just like to keep stuff i want to look at again in one place like a gallery of sorts)
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Holding up snarky signs doesn't seem to be working.
For me, it isn't about whether this action is appropriate or not. It's about how this kind of action is inevitable.
I'm going to let Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. explain in a quote no one seems to post during his annual holiday.
"It is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear?"
If you only speak up about a supercharger catching fire and ignore the unheard, you are prioritizing a thing over people.
I wanted to make a post about some myths vs facts to educate more people on the disorder!
Bipolar Disorder Myths & Facts
MYTH: There are two types of bipolar disorder.
FACT: There are multiple types.
Bipolar I: Diagnosis requires at minimum one episode of mania lasting a week or more.
Bipolar II: Diagnosis requires at minimum one depressive episode, and hypomania that has lasted four days or more.
Cyclothymia: Hypomanic and depressive episodes have been present, but do not meet the full criteria of other bipolar disorders, i.e. episode length. The episodes are milder.
Unspecified/Other Specified Bipolar (Better known as the older category Bipolar NOS): Manic, hypomanic, and/or depressive episodes have been present, but do not meet the full criteria of other bipolar disorders.
Schizoaffective disorder (bipolar type): This disorder has a mix of both mood disorder and schizophrenic symptoms. Depressive and hypomanic/manic episodes are present alongside psychotic symptoms.
Unspecified/Other Specified Bipolar and Cyclothymia can in many cases be indicative of possible development of Bipolar I/II in the future.
MYTH: Bipolar people have manic and depressive episodes.
FACT:
That’s a wild oversimplification. Get ready for a wall of text.
Mania & Hypomania
There are manic episodes, hypomanic episodes, depressive episodes, and mixed episodes.
Mania is a period of abnormal elevation in energy, mood, and/or behavior. It can include unhealthy risks, grandiose plans, impulsive behavior, feeling invincible, less sleep, rapid speech, and can include psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions.
Mania is found in bipolar I and schizoaffective disorder. Less frequently, it can occur in unspecified/other specified bipolar as well.
Hypomania is a milder form of the above that is found in bipolar II disorder, cyclothymia and bipolar NOS. Hypomania does not include psychosis. Bipolar II and cyclothymia do not include full mania.
People with bipolar I and schizoaffective disorder can experience hypomanic episodes in addition to manic ones.
Depressive Episodes
A depressive episode is a period of sadness, anhedonia, reduced energy, sleep issues and thoughts of suicide or self harm. Bipolar II disorder often causes more frequent and longer lasting depressive episodes compared to Bipolar I. Psychotic symptoms can occur during depressive episodes.
Mixed Episodes
Mixed episodes are episodes that include symptoms of both hypomania/mania and depression at the same time or in rapid sequence. This is sometimes called dysphoric mania.
Also FWIW if we are in an episode it does not mean our emotions aren’t “real” or “just the bipolar”, please don’t infantilize us!
And just as an additional vocab word, euthymia: Not an episode but a period of stability.
MYTH: In a hypomanic or manic episode, bipolar people are happy.
FACT: Happiness is not the only possible emotion in a hypomanic or manic episode — nor does it actually have to be there at all.
In a hypomanic and manic episode, one can experience irritation, hypervigilance, paranoia and restlessness, whether that accompanies happiness or not.
Also, many people have the idea that switching up emotions very fast within hours/minutes is only characteristic of BPD. However, during mixed episodes, this can often occur. BPD and bipolar can have similar symptoms, which is part of why there’s many cases of one being incorrectly diagnosed as the other.
MYTH: Bipolar episodes can’t be short.
FACT: This depends on the person.
Every bipolar person has a different timeline. Some have longer episodes, some shorter, and some both.
Episodes can last days, weeks, months, or years — like any other group of people we are not all the same.
For example, hypomania is required to last four days or more for a bipolar II diagnosis, which is not even a full week.
Four or more episodes during a twelve month period is a “rapid cycling” pattern. This occurs in ~10-20% of bipolar people.
Additionally, in regards to cyclothymia and bipolar NOS mentioned previously — these episodes can also be shorter.
MYTH: Bipolar is obvious.
FACT: Bipolar disorders can go undetected for years.
There is variation among results, but overall studies have shown there is on average a 5-10 year delay in receiving a proper bipolar diagnosis.
This is very common in bipolar II, given the hypomanic periods can just look like happiness if you’re not aware of what’s going on.
Because of this, many bipolar people are misdiagnosed with depression for a long time.
On the note of depression, when a bipolar person is prescribed an SSRI by itself, this can cause hypomania or mania. For quite a few of us, this reaction is how our disorder was finally caught. However, SSRIs can be successfully used for bipolar disorder when in conjunction with other medications like mood stabilizers.
MYTH: Meds cure bipolar.
TRUTH: Meds help bipolar.
However, if it is the wrong medicine for the person, it can worsen the disorder and/or cause other issues.
Meds do not “erase” our disorder. It can prevent episodes of reduce their severity. However, many of us still have episodes, whether noticeable or not. There is no cure for bipolar.
As discussed earlier, when prescribed SSRI’s, bipolar episodes can worsen or be induced. This is one way in which the wrong medicine can negatively impact someone.
Along with that, there are of course cases where someone does not react well to a medicine, wherein it either doesn’t do anything or it makes things worse — mentally and/or physically. And with that, we get to medicine side effects.
Bipolar medicines like mood stabilizers and antipsychotics can cause metabolic changes, fatigue, tremors, memory issues, increased urination, weight changes, and many many more. Antipsychotics can be riskier in this regard, as they tend to have stronger side effects, and are more commonly associated with neurological issues.
This isn’t to scare anyone. Any medication comes with risks after all, and for most of us finding the right medication is lifesaving. This is just to make the point that it’s not as simple as popping a pill, and that we do make sacrifices to manage our disorder.
MYTH: Bipolar people don’t know when they’re hypomanic/manic.
FACT: It varies.
Sometimes we’re able to recognize it, sometimes we’re not. A lot of this depends on whether one is mood charting, in treatment, etc. but regardless of the situation it can go either way.
And just because someone recognizes it this time doesn’t mean they’ll recognize it next time and vice versa. So please don’t place expectations like that on us!
I hope this post taught you more about Bipolar Disorder!
that "it's covid" post is driving me insane. like listen man im aware covid can do some longlasting shit to you but people are not suddenly stupid and aggressive, theyve been this way since the beginning of time, sometimes you can be sick with something that is not covid it's actually a very plausible thing that happens to people every day, and i dont think blaming an illness someone possibly had for their mental health is a good idea when half the people who became "suddenly" mentally ill were experiencing total isolation for like a year and then the following few years progressively got worse and worse on a social and political level. like im not about to say "covid has caused no issues!!" bc that's an insane take but i think "covid caused every issue youve ever had in the past five years!!" especially to the mentally ill teenagers who are desperately searching for an answer website is also fucking insane.
