Madness

Forney’s suffering arises not just from the symptoms of her bipolar disorder, but from the self-isolation that results from her fear of losing her creativity. After her diagnosis, Forney characterizes herself as a “rock star” cheerfully eating an energy bar and casually tossing Klonopin into her mouth (28). With the same carelessness, she begins reading Kay Jamison’s memoir, a story by a psychologist who suffers from the same disorder as she. Here, Forney’s face shows a dismissive skepticism, betraying her adamant refusal to let her disorder “dictate everything in [her] life” (27-28). Her reasons for this refusal become readily apparent when we

In this article “Bipolar Disorder: The Agony and the Ecstasy” the author Thomas Wheaton explains his life dealing with a bipolar disorder. There are three different types of bipolar disorders, bipolar 1 is an episode of mania or a mixed episode you have in your lifetime. Bipolar 2 is mood states between deadly depression and an extreme form of mania. Then there is Cyclothymic disorder which is close to bipolar 2 with mood swings but not as severe and not as often. Thomas however has a disorder that is not diagnosed as any of the above bipolar disorders, his disorder is unusually changing. His diagnosis is ultra-ultra-rapid cycling, where he experience’s mood swings between depression and mania

By definition, manic depression is otherwise known as bipolar disorder in modern times. It is “a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, behavior, thinking and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.”(Introduction: Bipolar Disorder) This overall definition clearly supports the argument that Rose Mary carries bipolar disorder. Often times in the memoir, Rose Mary changes her mind and mood about doing something very quickly without any foreshadow. This brief explanation of bipolar disorder shows that Rose Mary possesses most of the traits of having bipolar disorder. From a greater perspective, bipolar disorder has two very distinctive phases ---- the manic phase and depressive phase. During a manic phase, patients are often “jumping quickly from one idea to the next” (Melinda and Jeanne), feeling energetic and having “unrealistic beliefs about one’s abilities or powers” (Melinda and Jeanne); during a depressive phase, patients are often “feeling hopeless, sad, empty”(Melinda and Jeanne) or irritable and unable to

Bipolar disorder, also commonly referred to as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual and heightened swings in a person’s mood, energy level, and ability to function. The symptoms of bipolar disorder can be severe and therefore, they are quite different from the normal shifts in mood that everyone goes through on a daily basis. The effects of bipolar disorder can result in broken relationships, poor performance at work or school, self-mutilation, and even suicide. However, in most instances, bipolar disorder can be treated and people with this illness can lead normal and productive lives with the help of medication and therapy.

The author, Kay Jamison talks about her life with bipolar I disorder in her book, An Unquiet Mind. Jamison was a Caucasian woman who at the age of forty seven wrote this memoir. Currently she is seventy years old and dealing with her disorder. She spent her life moving around a lot because her father was an air force pilot. She grew up with an older brother who was very caring and an older sister that she bumped heads with. Kay’s father was a really delightful person. His emotions were contagious. Her mother was always helpful and caring for her family no matter how busy she was. Kay’s parents were supporting in all her interests; such as pets, poetry, science, and medicine. When she was fifteen, things took a turn and her family moved to California for her father’s new job as a scientist. Her father began to show worsening signs of depression. Around the age of sixteen, Kay realized that she was having mood swings that were very drastic. In her senior year of high school, she had her first manic depressive attack. She started her undergraduate study at UCLA dealing with her constant depression and manic episodes. As she was studying as an undergraduate, Kay began to take an interest in psychology. She pursued her PhD in psychology at UCLA again studying mood disorders. As a graduate student, she also began working in the psychiatric ward and dealing with marital problems in her first marriage. She was slowly spiraling out of control until she had a terrifying

There are many ways to approach many different disorders but there can only be one solution that is best. Depending on what the disorder is there has to be certain precaution taken. Susie is a women that does not know what her issue is. All she knows is that something she thinks these things and because she is thinking them she must be right. She also has these emotions that are high, high enough to where she believes that she is on the top of the world and nothing can stop her. Sues has moods where she thinks she is another kind of humanity. She also goes to a dark place where she is so sad and does not know what to do that she sits and contemplates ending her life, essentially committing suicide. But what Susie has is an

To someone without the disorder, the basic idea of massive high followed by ultimate low is easily understood, but it is hard to understand the depth of actually experiencing this devastating rollercoaster on a frequent basis. Kay paints a picture of the high of a manic episode using images of stars and blood and lovers. She feels invincible and correct. Somewhere a switch is flipped. All the intense feelings of pleasure and certainly become overwhelming, and she's hit a depressive episode. On this end, absolutely everything she's feeling is unbearable. The most terrifying part about this cycle is that, even if she can recognize that it's happening, she believes that it will never cease. This is supported by the author Halter (2014), as it mentioned in the book that euphoric mood associated with mania is unstable. During euphoria, the patient may state that h or she is experiencing an intense fling of well being, is “cheerful in a beautiful world”, or is becoming “one with God.” This mood may change quickly to irritation and anger when the person is thwarted. Irritability may become the prominent feature of the manic phase of bipolar

One of the biggest challenges is helping someone find the right medication and keeping a routine that works best for them over the long-term. The famous singer/ actress/ songwriter/ model Demi Lovato was checked into rehab at the age of 22, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2011. Before Lovato received her diagnosis, she spent years feeling vulnerable and sad. At the time she couldn't even find the strength to get out of bed. She was struggling with cutting, drug addicting, and bulimia. Lovato quotes"Getting a diagnosis was kind of a relief. It helped me start to make sense of the harmful things I was doing to cope with what I was experiencing". It was a relief to her because she was self harming without knowing the root of her problem.

story in a memoir titled Madness: A Bipolar Life, in an attempt to shed some light and insight on the

Research Question: Considering the events of her life, would it be more realistic to consider that Mary Todd Lincoln went insane/ diagnosable to today’s standards of being bipolar, or was she just in a state of post traumatic stress?

As expressed in the documentary, bipolar disorder is a very misunderstood mental illness, and I was surely one of those who truly didn’t understand it. One fact that I learned was how the change from manic states to depressive ones are not easy gentle

There is no indication she has had a manic or hypomanic episode. Her depression may be complicated by grief due to her father’s death one year ago. Her symptoms seem to get worse after his passing.

She also shows other characteristics such as restlessness and rapid thoughts. These negative symptoms associated with the manic state caused her to make reckless decisions which eventually led to her being hospitalized. Although her manic episodes caused her to make risky decisions, she also experienced a burst of ideas which lead to her making a significant breakthrough in a case at her job that no one else was able to solve. This coincides what is known about Bipolar disorder, it is believed that individuals in the manic state undergo a surge of creativity and ideas. Homeland is currently one of my favorite television shows. I think the producers did an excellent job of providing a realistic view of what it is like to live with bipolar disorder. I learned a lot about the symptoms of bipolar disorder and general information about the illness just from watching the show. For example, I learned that bipolar disorder can be heritable and can also be triggered by high-stress situations. The show also showed realistic biomedical therapies used to treat bipolar disorder such as lithium, clozapine, and electroconvulsive