Actor Charlie Sheen's rants about warlocks and tiger blood spurred a national conversation about bipolar disorder, which affects nearly 6 million Americans. Here are the top symptoms and treatments. We all have ups and downs. But the steep climbs (mania) and sudden plunges (depression) of bipolar disorder can lead to life-threatening situations.
Shirley Rogerson, 59, thought her husband of 40 years was simply prone to dark moods. At other times, he was the life of the party, telling jokes that had everyone in stitches. But as years passed, his behavior became frightening. “He threatened to kill himself and had hallucinations,” says Rogerson, an author and library information specialist. “Once, he saw visions of killing me and the dogs.”
Her husband was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The serious mental illness affects about 6 million women and men in the U.S., according to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). And it can be harrowing, and dangerous, for people around them. In the manic phase, sufferers often don’t think anything’s wrong. They’re hyper-energized and brimming with confidence. But they’re not as invincible as they feel.“Eventually, people almost always make a big mistake, such as a foolish investment or an ill-advised affair. When they realize what they’ve done, they can crash into really bad depression,” says psychiatrist Igor Galynker, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Family Center for Bipolar Disorder at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City.
What Is Bipolar Disorder? This complex mental condition comes in various forms. These are the most common: Bipolar I is the classic type, which used to be called manic depression. Patients typically alternate between full-blown mania and depression, which causes severe behavioral shifts. In some, those symptoms occur concurrently. Occasionally, the mania or depression is so severe it becomes psychosis – a break with reality characterized by delusions or hallucinations. Bipolar II is the less extreme, more common version of the disorder. Depressive episodes alternate with hypomania – a milder version of mania. People with hypomania are sometimes highly productive and function well.
“It can start out lovely,” says Cynthia Last, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in Boca Raton, Fla., and author of When Someone You Love Is Bipolar (Guilford Press). But it inevitably leads to depression. And if left untreated, symptoms may grow more extreme, evolving into bipolar I. Once diagnosed, bipolar disorder is often treatable with medications and psychotherapy. But warning signs of bipolar disorder are often confused with major depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), drug-induced highs or just plain moodiness. As a result, only 1 in 4 sufferers are accurately diagnosed in less than three years, according to DBSA figures.
Recognizing the mania and depression signs of bipolar disorder is the first step to getting help. Here’s what to look for:
