My spouse’s mood changes all the time... Is she/he BIPOLAR..?!

Bipolar affective disorder (BPAD - previously called Manic Depressive Psychosis) is a complex mood disorder characterized by the lows of depression and the highs of mania, and everything in between.  

More prevalent in the higher socioeconomic population, it is a chronic, potentially lifelong illness that needs constant care and attention.  People with BPAD are prone to mood swings, although not the circumstantial dysphoria and irritability that people usually make the mistake of attributing to the illness (as in labelling someone 'bipolar').  That is to say, the mood changes occur subtly over several days, and not dramatically within minutes. 

BPAD, to me, underscores the fact that everything in the universe is in a state of balance: too much or too little of anything is unsustainable.  

So it is with the human body and mind.  Too much of blood sugar is termed diabetic, and too little, hypoglycemic.  Too much of sadness is depressive, and too much of happiness is manic.  

BPAD often affects creative people, and patients even attribute some of their creative outbursts to the early phases of mania when thoughts are racing through the mind, and there is a restless need to create.  

Everyone experiences highs and lows of mood, but the extremes of BPAD affect quality of life and relationships, and therefore require intervention.  Indeed, if a patient develops mania, it is the family that seeks professional help because the patient lacks insight into the seriousness of his/her mental condition. 

I talk about the signs and symptoms, risks associated, and the treatment of BPAD in this video in three languages:

English: https://youtu.be/l2tpxeEiOHg

Hindi: https://youtu.be/qk4D5unqe28

Kannada: https://youtu.be/icB_KSBpDWk

Also read my review of the book on BPAD, Em and the Big Hoom.

Resources:

Background music: 7th Dimension, 

Pictures: https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8451/7996124566_5b4d08ecaf_z.jpg