That extreme excitement may be a tell-tale sign

My first case of mental illness just about when I was starting my residency training in psychiatry back in 2006 was a case of Bipolar Disorder.  

Jimmy (not real name) is like a younger brother and he came to pay me a visit at home. He appeared very happy however everything else seemed fine. He shared with me some of his new spiritual experiences and how he had become bolder and more expressive of himself. He simply said that he was having one of the best times of his life and that he had all these fabulous ideas going through his mind. We chatted till about 12 midnight then I had to stop the discussion simply because I had to go to work the following day. At about 3 a.m. Jimmy was up again. He woke me up saying that he wanted to chat some more because he had discovered that, in his words, “great men don’t have need of sleep.” It was at that point that it hit me that Jimmy was having a mental breakdown.

Jimmy has a condition called Bipolar Disorder. Read about the signs and symptoms Here and Here. The proportion of any population regardless of ethnicity, race or geographical location that is usually affected by this illness is usually about 2%. Young people with Bipolar disorder have far greater risk of committing suicide.

Some famous people who are known to have this illness are Ted Turner, an American Billionaire media mogul, founder of CNN; Jean Claude Van Damme-a very successful martial art actor; and Winston Churchill-a famous British Prime Minister who was noted for his leadership of the British Army during the Second World War.

Bipolar disorder, though challenging, can be managed when proper management is sought. Remember that “when you are better educated about what you are dealing with, then you are never without hope.” Let’s spread the awareness not the stigma. Talk to a professional today.

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4 Ways to help a loved one during a Manic Crisis

A manic crisis can be challenging especially for family members, friends and colleagues of the individual who is having a crisis. A manic crisis is one of the two-sided poles of a bipolar disorder which is also called a manic-depressive disorder.

Here are some few first aid tips to help deal with a manic situation in a loved one…

 

1.     Familiarize yourself with signs and symptoms of the illness so as to possibly detect the crisis early

A manic crisis is usually characterized by poor sleep or a reduced need for sleep. Characteristically, the affected individual sleeps for less than 4 hours daily. When awake they often busy themselves ‘noisily’ around the house, e.g. they may decide to watch T.V or play music aloud in the early hours of the day. You will also notice that the individual becomes either unusually happy or easily irritable. The individual may also become restless, hyperactive, talkative, and/ or become unusually disrespectful to others.

 

2.    Tactically engage the Individual who is having the crisis

During a manic crisis, the affected individual may make hurtful comments or act in annoying ways. It is very important during a crisis not to take these words or actions personally even though they are offensive. Communication may be difficult during a manic crisis therefore as much as possible stay calm and make your statements brief and simple. Even though the affected individual is easily irritable, they are not very likely to become physically aggressive with their loved ones.

3.     Seek for Help

Don’t handle a crisis alone. Reach out to other family members, friends and a professional. A manic crisis will always require proper intervention. This may sometimes mean admitting the individual in a hospital. Getting the individual to go for treatment during a crisis period may sometimes be very difficult since the affected individual often assumes that “there is nothing currently wrong with them”. I suggest that “forceful intervention” should always be the last resort after more respectfully humane and less traumatic approaches have failed. If possible, do engage the help of a professional as a guide and support to ensure the best approach for managing the crisis.

4.    Develop a Crisis Plan

During a phase of normalcy, i.e. when the individual is out of the woods, it is important to come up with a crisis plan. This plan should be placed somewhere the individual can easily assess it and it should also be shared with family members, friends and possibly colleagues. Among other things a crisis plan contains things like things you or others can do to help during a crisis and phone numbers of your health care provider.

 

 Final words, if you have a bipolar disorder, you are better off maintaining and staying on your ‘mood stabilizer’ medication rather than taking them intermittently. Just like the regular household electrical appliance, your gadgets are safer being constantly connected through the stabilizer rather than waiting for power fluctuations to occur before reconnecting them to the stabilizer.

Remember that people with mental illness can live more optimally fulfilling lives therefore talk to a professional today.