Good morning and happy M…Day that shall not be named.

 

Whoa almost forgot.  One of the very few rules here at Running Naked with Scissors.  I don’t have many.  That would kind of contradict my whole thingy I got going on here don’t you think?

 

 

I mean how can you run naked with scissors then have a gazillion rules to be all uptight about.  The two just do not go hand in hand.  So I keep the rules to a minimum.

 

 

1.  Play nice.
2. We don’t call it M…almost got me again..it is now and forevermore here in my domain, The Day That Shall not be Named.
3. Share
4. Domuts

 

That’s about it.  If you heard anything else, you heard wrong.

 

Oh yea one more,

 

5.  If it doesn’t have a tail, it’s not a monkey.    

 

Anyways back to what we were talking about which is Fact or Fiction about Bipolar Disorder.  That’s where we were headed anyways until I – veered us off course and all over the place on a silly wild goose chase that left us breathless and in need of a nap ..no, a donut.  Both maybe who knows

 

So we followed the butterflies for a minute – rather I did and you followed me.  Unless you left. Then you didn’t.

Did you know the butterfly s the symbol for bipolar disorder..a green butterfly.  That;s one to put in the facts.  Don’t ask how I got to butterflies.

 

It made perfect sense to me – promise.

 

Lets have a quiz and see who knows their mental illness.  Or their friend’s or family member’s or coworker or significant other…

 

True or False?

 

1.  Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that affects only the moods of those who have it.

 

2.  You can’t ever trust someone who has a SMI (serious mental illness) especially those with bipolar because the bad side may snap and do things the good side wouldn’t.

 

3.  Bipolar patients have multiple personalities, at least two, and you never know which one you are going to deal with or when they will switch up on you.

 

4.  If someone with bipolar disorder takes  their medications as prescribed then they will have their illness under control.

 

5.  The only difference between bipolar disorder and depression is the the manic phase.

 

Let’s start with those five.  So how do you think you did?  Let’s see …

 

Survey Says;

 

1.  Bipolar disorder can affect not only the moods but energy level, memory, judgement, coping ability, circadian rhythm (your body clock) sex drive, appetite and can also cause problems with migraine headaches, heart problems, high blood pressure and high blood sugar (from some medications)  The answer my friends is FALSE.  Bipolar affects almost every part of a body and soul.  untreated it will get progressively worse and can be debilitating and demoralizing.

 

2.  Ok, there is some unpredictability due to judgement calls made when not able to make them, like in a severely manic phase.  The answer is FALSE because this is a broad generalization.  In my case, I have done things I would never do when I wasn’t riding the fun coaster of bipolar emotional goop and stuff…but I have also not done things that  are included in the indicators of mania in the DSM – I dunno what version is out now….. My feeling on this is overall as a person if your loved one is trustworthy but suffers from bipolar disorder, don’t treat them like they can;t be trusted when they are level and making good choices.  That is very hard to take and causes feeling of…hopelessness sometimes.  Understand that certain active phases of the illness might cloud their judgement and act accordingly to help them make the right decisions or be there to make them for them if it is warranted.

 

 

3   Did anyone put true?  Believe it or not, this is a common misconception.  The way we depict bipolar disorder helped that along a little I am sure.  As common representation being the masks of comedy and tragedy and pictures showing the person at opposite extremes..  bi polar you know?  It is not a personality disorder and there are not two or more personalities living in this body.  If you are lucky enough to experience both sides you may think I am possessed or someone else.  I may wish I was.  But it;s just me.  It is the emotional extremes the complete opposite to the other extreme that can seem like a whole different person.  And too I think it helps people come to terms with some of the behaviors that they are not used to seeing from their friend or loved one.  The answer is FALSE

 

4.  Medication is just one of the necessary elements for successfully managing bipolar disorder and greatly decreasing the chances of episodes that are severe and some can even go years between bouts of depression or mania.  Bipolar is not cured it is managed and medication is only one part of the management plan along with therapy, structure and good sleeping and eating habits.   For some medication is not even an option as sometimes bipolar is resistant the answer is FALSE.

 

5.  The answer is false.  While the one thing that definitely will differentiate bipolar from uni-polar depression is the lack of a manic phase or episode  the depression is harder to treat and a bipolar patient put on the traditional antidepressants will most likely enter a manic phase from the meds.  Meds typically consist of an antidepressant, a mood stabilizer and for me also a benzo – a anti anxiety.  Valium, Xanax, klonopin  The ones that are indicated for bipolar disorder are I think a combination… I uh…feeling a bit sheepish but I can;t put my finger on why it is that bipolar depression and regular antidepressants don’t work.  I will get back to you on that but the answer is FALSE.

 

 

That was an awkward moment.. but in my world its pretty normal.  Normal for me.  I lose stuff in my head all the time.  Sometimes I can’t find a word and it is there, I can see it, and make the sound but not tell you what the word is.  Everyday words.

 

That is something that usually gets worse with stress and anxiety.  Meds  can contribute to memory loss and it seems to be getting worse.  Sometimes I will know exactly what I am talking about in one sentence and completely lose it in the next.

 

Well that;s a good start, how did you do?  It;s ok if you got them wrong.  That;s what we are here for, to learn and change the misconceptions we have about mental illness.

 

I’ll let you chew on that one for awhile and add some more later.

 

 

 

 

 

Related articles

 

• 12 Celebrities Who Are Living With Bipolar (huffingtonpost.com)
• I’ll NEVER Running Naked Again! (survivalsherpa.wordpress.com)