6-2: Much Weirdness

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Today, I have decided to venture into a topic that is extremely unfamiliar to me. Over the past several weeks as I have studied my topic of mental illness in more depth, I have learned a lot about some of the most common mental disorders. Today I am going to be looking into some disorders that aren’t as well known and may seem somewhat obscure.

1.    Capgras Syndrome- When someone has the constant fear that their loved ones have been replaced by identical looking doubles or imposters. This disorder often occurs along with schizophrenia and can cause the patient to become extremely distrusting of those around them.

2.    Cotard Delusion- Someone with Cotard delusion lives with the belief that they are dead, does not exist, or has lost their blood or internal organs. This disorder is most commonly found in people with psychotic depression or schizophrenia.

3.    Paris Syndrome- Paris syndrome is very odd because it only affects one nationality of people. It affects Japanese tourists who visit france or spain. The symptoms of this syndrome include anxiety, derealization, depersonalization, and hallucinations. Some triggers may include the language barrier, the extreme difference in culture, or physical exhaustion.

4.    Fregoli Syndrome- This disorder is considered the inverse of Capgras syndrome. Medscape.com defines Fregoli syndrome as, “A person’s delusional belief that persecutors or familiar people can assume the guise of strangers, in that different people are in fact a single person who changes his or her appearance or who appears in disguise.” This disorder also most commonly occurs in patients with schizophrenia, causing the patient to become suspicious of everyone.

5.    Todd Syndrome- A patient with Todd syndrome has a distorted perception of body image, space, or other sensorial distortions. Todd syndrome is often found in people with migranes, brain tumors, or as a side effect of psychoactive drugs.

6.    Reduplicative Paramnesia- This disorder also deals with the idea of doubles. Someone with reduplicative paramnesia delusionally believing that a place has been duplicated, has been relocated, or exists in 2 places at the same time. This disorder can be found in patients with various other mental disorders but was first discovered in a patient with Alzheimer disease.

7.    Foreign Accent Syndrome- This syndrome is a rare condition that causes the patient to speak their native language as if they had a foreign accent. This often occurs in patients who have suffered some kind of brain trauma, most commonly a stroke.

8.    Alien Hand Syndrome- This disorder causes the patient to believe that their hand does not belong to them and it has its own life. It is primarily caused by a stroke or other brain damage.

9.    Jerusalem Syndrome- This syndrome makes the patient delusional about religiously themed obsessive ideas. This condition appears in patients with various mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or psychotic depression.

10.  Stendhal Syndrome- This condition gives the patient affected severe physical and emotional anxiety when exposed to art. It has also been called hyperculturemia. 

I hope you found my list interesting. As I was researching, I found it interesting that most of these rare syndromes occur with other mental illnesses such as psychotic depression or schizophrenia. They can often be a clue towards the underlying problem.

Sources:

http://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/rare-psych

6-1: A Sensitive Topic

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Today’s topic is one that is quite a bit heavier than anything else I’ve talked about on here. It is also something that isn’t talked about enough: suicide. I think that we as human beings dodge this topic because it is so misunderstood. Unless you are dealing with it, it’s absolutely impossible for most of us to understand. Life in general is a really abstract idea that our mortal minds simply cannot comprehend. I think that the reason this isn't discussed more often is because it is so abstract.

When I was doing my research for this post, I came across a TEDx talk on YouTube called Why We Choose Suicide by Mark Henick. I think he explains this epidemic fabulously. He ties in personal examples and you can see how personally dedicated to this topic he is. He says some really profound things and I would like to elaborate on those a bit more.

“I was barely a teenager the first time I tried to kill myself. If I knew then what I know now, well it probably wouldn’t have changed very much. And it probably wouldn’t have changed very much because sometimes it doesn’t matter what you know, what you feel just takes over.”

A big part of Henick’s talk was about this idea of perception, this idea that someone suffering from mental illness suffers from a distorted perception. Especially in teenagers, perception can become distorted and as he says, “what you feel just takes over.” When I hear this, I think of sappy Victorian era romance novels that always chastise the two people in love, saying they need to think with their mind and not only their heart. This is another example of a distorted perception. Extreme emotions can cause people to think and act irrationally.

Can suicide really be a choice if it’s the only choice available? We ask ourselves – how can it be the only choice? How can it even be a rational choice? And hopefully we wonder and we ask ourselves: how we can help? Well, we can start to help by better appreciating that our mental health is contingent on the state and the flexibility of our perceptions. Whether we have a mental illness or not, how expanded or how contracted our perception becomes, impacts the choices that we make.

This talk has given me a brand new perspective on the concept of life. Life is a very abstract thought and we as humans aren’t able to comprehend the complexity of it. The idea that life is a choice and we can choose to stop living doesn’t sit well with the vast majority of our population. When someone dies of natural causes or of a terminal illness, we often say that we are happy for them: we are happy that they can finally escape their pain. This is the same kind of idea but it is harder to comprehend because suicide is a “choice.” I use the word choice very loosely because it is impossible to delegate what is a choice and what isn’t. This ties back to the idea of perception and if suicide can be a choice if it’s the only choice available in that moment.

Because I just didn’t want it to – I just didn’t want it to hurt anymore. In that moment, my entire life was completely in my control. And when you’re living in a hurricane like this all the time, that’s a really unfamiliar but really satisfying feeling: to feel like you have control over your whole life.

This ties in really well to what I said about the last little section so I’m not going to say much about this one. I like this because it gives the term “life” a less abstract connotation. I feel like this statement makes it is easier to understand that your life is literally in your hands.

One way that we can help is to stop saying that people commit suicide. People commit rape. They commit murder. But nobody has committed suicide in this country since the early 1970s when suicide was decriminalized. And that’s because suicide is a public health concern, not a criminal one.

A big reason why suicide is so misunderstood is because it is not addressed as acceptable. We treat mental illness like it is a crime when it’s not. It is, as Henick states, a public health concern and we need to treat is as such.

So for those of you who might be thinking about suicide today, good. Keep thinking about it. And then start talking about it. And then start doing something about it too.

How is this epidemic going to be cured if nobody is willing to talk about it. Think of it: if everyone was just as afraid to discuss cancer, no research would be done about it. No cures would be found and in turn, no lives would be saved.

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I hope that this post gave you some perspective on this extremely sensitive topic. I would highly recommend checking out this TEDx talk. The link is listed below.

Sources: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1QoyTmeAYw 

5-2: Alternative Medicine

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            Since I have started researching my topic, (almost 5 weeks ago now. Wow!) I have started becoming increasingly more curious about alternate ways to treat/cure mental illnesses. Alternative medicine and herbal remedies are still used and in some parts of the world, they continue to be the main form of medical treatment.

            Alternative medicine includes any form of medical treatment that are used instead of traditional therapy. Some types of alternative medicine include acupuncture, chiropractic medicine, energy therapies, (magnetic field therapy, reiki, therapeutic touch) herbal medicine, and ayurvedic medicine. Although many of these forms of treatment have been proven to be helpful to those suffering both physical and mental illnesses, they are not certified by the FDA and because of this, can be particularly risky. It has been advised that people using various forms of alternative medicine be cautious because they never know what they might be getting themselves into.

Acupuncture

            Acupuncture was first used in China many years ago. It involves inserting extremely thin needles (think of the size of one strand of hair) into muscles. It is most commonly used to treat muscular pain and when these needles are inserted into specific points in your body, it can benefit those with chronic pain.

Chiropractic medicine

            Chiropractic medicine involves the alignment of the spine. Chiropractors move various parts of the body and make adjustments to the spine in order to bring the spine into alignment and when the spine is in  alignment, problems within the body lessen or even go away.

Energy therapy

            Energy therapy is very controversial. It revolves around the idea that everybody has an energy field or an aura that surrounds them. Energy therapists treat their patients by using their energy and transferring it to the patient through gentle tapping. Magnetic therapy also falls into the category of energy therapy.

Herbal medicine

            Herbal remedies have been used for thousands of years to cure various ailments. Indian tribes and other nomadic groups of ancient times used herbal remedies and other forms of alternative medicine to treat various illnesses. The use of essential oils to treat problems in our body have become very popular.

Ayuvedic medicine

            Ayuvedic medicine originated in India more than 3,000 years ago. It revolves around the idea that everything in our universe is connected and everything is made of the same basic 5 elements: space, air, fire, water, and earth. As explained on webmd.com, “These combine in the human body to form three life forces or energies, called doshas. They control how your body works. They are Vata dosha (space and air); Pitta dosha (fire and water); and Kapha dosha (water and earth). Ayuvedic medicine involves manipulating these doshas to achieve maximum physical and mental health.

Hope you found this interesting!

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/ayurvedic-treatments#1

https://medlineplus.gov/herbalmedicine.html

http://www.lightnessofbeing.com/energy-therapy.htm

https://medlineplus.gov/chiropractic.html

http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/acupuncture/basics/definition/prc-20020778

http://www.webmd.com/balance/what-is-alternative-medicine#2

5-1: Rhetorical Analysis (Part II) | Treating Someone Who Doesn't Want Treatment

Julie Ackerson

Professor Smith

English 2010

17 February 2017

Rhetorical Assignment Part Two: Treating Someone Who Doesn’t Want Treatment

         In Dr. Chris Ballas’s article entitled Treating Someone Who Doesn’t Want Treatment, he uses various rhetorical strategies to inform his audience on how to help someone with mental illness problems, but is avoiding treatment. He uses strategies such as reference to various laws, careful word choice, and emotional appeal to strengthen his claim and purpose. His article is published on a health information site under the mental health tab so his audience is going to be either people looking for this kind of information, or people like me who are interested in learning about mental disorders and how to help treat them. Although the article had its strong points, Ballas uses his personal opinions without using any evidence to go along with it. He treats his opinions like facts and it drastically weakens his argument.

         He starts off the article with a solid, factual base. Through the use of references to concrete information such as laws and standard medical procedure, he is able to establish his credibility. As he starts to share his personal philosophy and ideas, his credibility rapidly declines. His viewpoint is “the more, the merrier” when it comes to convincing someone to seek treatment for their mental health problems. He says that the best way to convince someone that they need treatment is to get as many people as possible to tell them that they need to get treatment. This claim is backed up by no evidence other than his personal testimony that it is an effective method. If he had made his claim and then followed it with some form of provable evidence, then it may have helped strengthen his argument. Instead, it calls on the reader to question if the author is qualified to be making such claims. This article also calls into question how his theory would work on more introverted people. There are a lot of people in the world who aren’t comfortable around large groups of people and in this case, the author’s approach may be more detrimental than helpful.

         At the very end of the article, an interesting point is made. The author states the following: “Much of our current laws were brought about by the courts in reaction to the “gross” (depending on the perspective) disregard for personal freedoms of the earlier days of psychiatry, and the current principle that having a mental illness does not therefore negate one’s freedoms – or their own personal responsibility for their behavior” The wording used in this section is interesting and can be somewhat difficult for the average reader to understand. In short, Ballas is saying that the laws that are in place in our society are a reaction to how people with mental illnesses were treated in the earlier days of psychiatry. People with mental illness were often misunderstood and were often denied the freedoms that were offered to other Americans. This claim is followed by the author saying that helping loved ones find medical help is a very delicate balance and it is important to consider both the person’s feelings towards treatment, and laws.

         When comparing this article to other informational articles that can be found on the web, it accentuates the fact that there is not a lot of medical proof to the arguments presented. Every mental disorder is different and the author over-generalizes them by approaching them the same. He says that large-scale intervention has a high success rate, but he doesn’t say what for. He doesn’t say which mental illnesses he has used this theory on and seen it be successful. When advising treatments, it is important to include what the treatment is designed to help.

         Although the author brings up many good ideas about helping someone who is avoiding treatment, he fails to back up his claims with solid evidence. The lack of evidence calls the reader to question his claims and his credibility and weakens his argument. If he would have backed up his opinions with some solid facts, the article would have been more useful and more relevant to people looking for quality and helpful information.

Works Cited

Ballas, Chris, M.d. “Treating Someone Who Doesn’t Want Treatment.” Health Central.

            15 Oct. 2006. Web. 9 Feb. 2017.

4-2: Exercise and Depression

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            I have always been a supporter of physical fitness. I think that it offers many physical and mental health benefits and can improve quality of life. As I’ve been doing research, I’ve discovered that exercise is a really good way to decrease the symptoms of depression. In this post I’m going to dive deeper into this alternative “happy drug” known as exercise.

            Along with other medicinal and therapeutic treatments for depression, many studies have shown that exercise can be very effective in reducing symptoms of depression. When we exercise, or body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins can trigger an uplifting feeling as well as reduce the perception of pain. Since depression can have many physical side effects and can be painful, the reduction of pain can particularly help people suffering from depression.

            Exercise creates the same kind of feelings that morphine does. When someone exercises, they eliminate the need to seek other ways (such as drugs) to make them happy. Exercise reduces the use and abuse of morphine and other stimulating drugs in people with depression.

            The Mayo Clinic lists several benefits of exercise that are not physical. Exercise has the capability to help us gain confidence, take our mind off of worries, get more social interaction, and cope in a healthy way. In people with depression, it can be hard to have the motivation to get more exercise which can be problematic. Exercise can decrease worry in a depressive patient which in conjunction with therapy and medications, can help cure depression.

            Many people are intimidated by exercise because they don’t realize that you don’t have to have a structured exercise program to benefit from physical activity. Studies have shown that even just participating in activities that increase your activity level can improve your mood. Many people take up a hobby such as gardening, or take the stairs instead of the elevator to get this extra little bit of physical activity.

            Before beginning a new exercise program, it is important to consult a doctor. Find out which activities are okay for you to do because everyone’s exercise program is going to be different. It is important to not take it too hard at first. Work into the routine and be sure to take it slow at first.

http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/exercise-depression#1

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression-and-exercise/art-20046495?pg=2

http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/natural-treatments#1

4-1: 10 Red Flags for Depression

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            With complex mental issues such as depression, there are usually warning signs before it spirals out of control.   Nobody just wakes up one morning with clinical depression.  There are usually signs months, or even years in advance.  Today I will be going through 10 red flags that I found most informational in recognizing signs, and causes of depression. 

10 Red Flags for Depression

Loss of Interest: When someone is experiencing symptoms of depression, they often lose interest in things that they found enjoyable before such as hobbies, relationships, or social activities.  Someone with depression will seem to become disconnected from people they care about.  When someone is depressed, it is important to not let them disconnect.  Depression is an illness that requires as much support from family and friends as possible.  As the person becomes more and more disconnected, they grow further and further from treatment. 

Side Effects of a Medication: Some medications have been tested and proven to cause depression.  It is important to be careful when taking these medications and consult with a doctor about your symptoms regularly. 

Significant Weight Changes: Someone who suffers from depression may go through a phase of binge eating or loss of appetite.  When someone’s body weight changes by more than 5% in one month, it is important to seek treatment.  Eating issues can impact someone for a long term period which is why this is one of the key symptoms to watch out for. 

Traumatic Experiences: Many people who experience a traumatic experience such as rape, the death of a loved one, a natural disaster, or even a war situation, are at high risk for post-traumatic stress disorder as well as depression.  It is important that people coming out of these high-stress situations receive treatment because many of these types of situations, can be life altering. 

Thoughts or Talk About Suicide: Most people contemplating suicide are just looking for a way to end the horrible feeling that they have on the inside.  Some of the symptoms of someone considering suicide include talking about killing or hurting themselves, making final arrangements such as giving away prized possessions, saying “the world would be better off without me,” or even acting in a way that they could get killed “accidentally. ” (ex.  Running a red light on purpose) If someone begins to display any of these signs it is important to get them help right away. 

Anger and Irritability: Someone who is depressed is more likely to be easily agitated or angered.  They may feel like everyone is out to get them or that nobody cares about them.  Their temper may become shorter and they often get upset over little things.  They may have unexpected outbursts of anger or frustration. 

Family History: Studies have shown that depression and other mental illness can be hereditary.  It is extremely important to know the signs of depression if you have a family history of it so you can seek help and treatment in the earliest stages.  It is also important for parents with depression to not hide it from their kids so that they know what signs to look out for. 

Abusive Relationships: Many people who are in abusive relationships are being subconsciously driven down the path of depression.  When you are in a controlling and abusive relationship, you forget how to think for yourself.  It is hard to love yourself when the person you thought you were meant to be with treats you like trash.  If you see signs of an abusive relationship, call a justice center.  Abuse should never be taken lightly as it can lead to serious mental problems. 

Concentration Problems: Another sign of depression is the inability to remember things or the inability to focus.  This can be especially hard for students with depression because they often have to continue with schoolwork even through their depression. 

Substance abuse: Almost 30% of people who have a substance abuse problem, also suffer from depression.  Many people use drugs and alcohol as a way to relieve the stress from their problems.  Overdosing on substances is a really easy way to commit suicide which is why depressed substance abusers need to be paid special attention.  

Sources:

https://www. helpguide. org/articles/depression/depression-signs-and-symptoms. htm

http://www. webmd. com/depression/guide/detecting-depression#1

http://www. psyweb. com/articles/depression/seven-red-flags-for-depression

http://www. gponline. com/red-flag-symptoms-mood-changes/mental-health/article/1316293

http://www. webmd. com/depression/guide/causes-depression#1

3-2: Dissociative Mental Disorders

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In my last post, I talked a little bit about how bipolar disorder and multiple personality disorder aren’t the same thing so today, I want to dig a little bit deeper into this illness that is commonly confused with bipolar disorder as well as other dissociative disorders. Dissociative disorders are defined by The National Alliance on Mental Illness as, “…an involuntary escape from reality characterized by a disconnection between thoughts, identity, consciousness, and memory.” Although dissociative disorders are commonly confused with bipolar disorder, they are two very different illnesses with different symptoms and treatments.

There are three different types of dissociative disorders: dissociative amnesia, depersonalization disorder, and dissociative identity disorder. (formerly known as multiple personality disorder. Dissociative disorders are usually caused by some form of trauma. It is particularly common in people who suffered long term emotional, sexual, or physical abuse as a child. It can also be quite common in the military, after someone has been exposed to war. Post-traumatic stress disorder and other trauma associated conditions can also occur along with dissociative disorders.

Dissociative Identity Disorder

The most controversial of the three types of dissociative disorders is dissociative identity disorder. Many medical professionals believe that it is just an offshoot of other psychiatric problems. It is heavily misunderstood because people who don’t have the illness or don’t know anyone who has the illness are unable to comprehend what it would be like to have two different personalities.

One of the most interesting cases of dissociative identity disorder that I read about is Kim Noble, a middle aged woman who has had 20 personalities for over four decades. In fact, Kim Noble is no longer her dominant personality. She explained to the press that she will respond to the name Kim Noble, but her mind has been shattered into multiple personalities since she was young. In Kim’s condition, her personalities are all independent to one another which has made it very difficult for doctors and therapists to figure out exactly what caused her to slip into this state. Several of Kim’s various personalities are linked to experiences she has had throughout her life. Dawn is looking for her baby – an almost direct link to when Kim’s daughter was taken away by social services. Ria, a young girl paints disturbing pictures of children being abused. Ria could be the link to what started Kim’s illness in the first place.

Depersonalization disorder

Carol W. Berman, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the NYU medical center, defines depersonalization disorder as, “A persistent or recurrent experience of feeling detached from, and as if one is an outside observer of, one’s mental processes or body.” It causes the patient to be in a somewhat permanent dreamlike state.

I found the article “Out of His Body: A Case of Depersonalization Disorder” from the Huffington post particularly interesting. It tells the story of Tony, who suffers from both depersonalization disorder and derealization. He was being treated by a doctor but refused to take an antidepressant because he was afraid to try anything new due to his derealization. Because of this, he never completed treatment and still suffers from his illness. I liked this article because it ties into the bigger picture that I am researching which is why some mental patients don’t want to take drugs that will help them.

Dissociative Amnesia

Web MD states that, “Dissociative amnesia occurs when a person blocks out certain information, usually associated with a stressful or traumatic event, leaving him or her unable to remember important personal information. Dissociative amnesia is linked to stress from abuse, accidents, or even war. People don’t want to remember the worst moments of their lives and people with dissociative amnesia subconsciously choose to forget about things they don’t want to remember.

Dissociative amnesia causes big chunks of memory loss and the patient often forgets important events or personal information relating to the traumatic event. When someone has dissociative amnesia, they may also suffer from other mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, or depression.

Dissociative mental illnesses are not something to be taken lightly and are a very serious problem in the lives of people who suffer from dissociative mental illnesses. Even with modern technology, treating these illnesses can be challenging and research needs to continue and find a way to improve the lives of people who suffer from dissociative mental illnesses.

Sources

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/dissociative-amnesia#1

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carol-w-berman-md/depersonalization-disorder_b_953909.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2042663/The-woman-20-personalities-body-case-thats-baffled-experts.html

https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Dissociative-Disorders

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder#1

3-1: Bipolar Disorder

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Today, I will be looking more into a mental illness that I find particularly interesting: bipolar disorder. The term bipolar disorder makes me think of an episode of one of my favorite shows,Drop Dead Diva. In this particular episode, the law firm is defending a client whose husband was treated for bipolar disorder and the therapist got rid of the wrong personality. It is portrayed as a simple medical malpractice case but when you look at it deeper, it’s a lot more interesting than that. What would it be like to be two different people? Can the person suffering from this illness tell when they switch personalities? Does bipolar disorder necessarily mean that the patient has two personalities, or can it be more like depression, with really high highs and really low lows? Hopefully, I will be able to learn more about this topic today and answer some more of these questions that I have

The first cases of bipolar disorder date back to as early as 1^st century Greece when Aretaeus of Cappadocia began to notice symptoms and link mania and depression together. Symptoms were commonly ignored in ancient times and further research was not continued until the 17^th century when Robert Burton wrote a book entitled The Anatomy of Melancholy. This was the first step in identifying the growing problem that is depression and mental illness. The first “official” case of bipolar disorder was diagnosed in 1851 by Jean-Pierre Falret, a French psychiatrist, who wrote an article about people going through phases of severe depression and manic excitement.

The National Institute of Mental Health defines bipolar disorder as, “a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.” From what this definition implies, bipolar disorder isn’t necessarily multiple personalities. It is intense mood swings, beyond what someone diagnosed with depression experiences. Upon further research, I discovered that someone who has multiple personalities would be diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, rather than bipolar disorder.

Someone with bipolar disorder experiences symptoms in two different categories: manic and depressive. When someone is having a manic episode, they may feel very high or elated, have a lot of energy, or be more active than usual. When someone is having a depressive episode, they may feel very sad or hopeless, have decreased activity levels, have very little energy, or even have trouble concentrating. Someone with bipolar disorder tends to switch between these two categories of symptoms quite often and can almost seem to be “two different people.” This is where the confusion of multiple personalities comes from.

Bipolar disorder is classified into four different sections: bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, cyclothymic disorder, and other disorders that do not fall into the previous three categories. Each class has various levels of symptoms but all can be dangerous and should be treated by an experienced physician. People with bipolar I disorder have manic symptoms that last at least 7 days or require immediate hospital care. The hospital is a safe place where the patient can begin to recover. It is generally away from the stresses that may be making the symptoms worse. People with bipolar II disorder also have a depressive-manic pattern but not as severe as someone with bipolar I disorder. Cyclothymic disorder is diagnosed when someone has had periods of depressive and manic symptoms for at least 2 years. (1 year for children and teens)

There are four main factors that contribute to causing bipolar disorder: brain structure and functioning, genetics, and family history. Bipolar disorder is heavily influenced by family history and a child with a parent or grandparent with the illness is much more likely to develop it.

With advances in modern medicine and technology, bipolar disorder is now easily treated with medications and various therapy treatments. Doctors can prescribe mood stabilizers, antidepressants, or atypical antipsychotics. These can lessen the number and intensity of manic episodes and decrease the depressive phases.

Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, has also been proven to be very effective when treating bipolar disorder. It can give the patient skills to deal with the stress of bipolar disorder. Psychotherapy, along with prescribed medications, can lessen the symptoms of bipolar disorder dramatically.

Now that I’ve researched more about this topic, I can see that bipolar disorder is very different from what I thought it was. Commonly confused with multiple personality disorder, bipolar disorder is very different and requires a different approach in treatment

Sources:

http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=urgent_help_for_patients

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml

http://www.healthline.com/health/bipolar-disorder/history-bipolar