Bipolar Disorder Myths and Facts

Blessings dear friends! Today, I am going to share some great information I found on the myths and facts of Bipolar Disorder. I hope this information helps you understand about Bipolar Disorder better. Please feel free to click on and check out any of the links I share. I share an excerpt from the links but there is so much great information on them. 😊 Feel free to email me anytime at barbgadway@live.com. Have a Blessed day! ❤

https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/features/8-myths-about-bipolar-disorder#1

Bipolar Myth No. 1: Bipolar disorder is a rare condition.

Not so, according to statistics and research. In a given year, bipolar disorder affects about 5.7 million American adults, or about 2.6% of the U.S. population 18 and older, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Estimates for children and teens vary widely, partly because there is debate about the criteria for diagnosis, say Thomas E. Smith, MD, a research scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and an associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York.

But the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation estimates that at least three quarters of a million American children and teens may suffer from bipolar disorder, although many are not diagnosed. A recent study by researchers from Columbia University and elsewhere showed the diagnosis of bipolar disorder is up dramatically in children and teens and is also on the rise in adults.

When the researchers looked at the number of office visits with a bipolar disorder diagnosis in 1994-1995 and 2002-2003 in the U.S., they found that the number of office-based visits increased 40-fold for children and nearly doubled for adults from the first time period to the second.

Bipolar Myth No. 2: Bipolar disorder is just another name for mood swings.

Not so. The mood swings associated with bipolar disorder are very different than those of people without the condition, says Matthew Rudorfer, MD, associate director of treatment research in the division of services and intervention research at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Md.

{ Please click on the website link I shared above and check out all the great information from this site} 

http://www.whiteswanfoundation.org/article/bipolar-disorder-myths-and-facts/

Myth: Bipolar disorder is just another name for mood swings.

Fact: Mood swings are typical change in mood when one is upset, angry, irritable, or feeling less motivated. They last for a short period of time. But the mood swings associated with bipolar disorder are very different and extreme, and can affect every aspect of a person's life and activities.

Myth: Bipolar disorder is a rare condition.

Fact: Bipolar disorder is not a rare mental disorder. According to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics and research, about sixty million people worldwide are affected with bipolar disorder and in India, around three percent of the population is affected with bipolar disorder.

Myth: Medication is the only treatment for bipolar disorder.

Fact: Medication is required to control the symptoms of bipolar disorder, but it is not the only treatment. Doctors also emphasize on the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle, avoiding drugs and alcohol, cultivating good sleeping habits, exercising and coping with stress in combination with the prescribed medication.

{ Please click on the website link I shared above and check out all the great information from this site} 

I hope that you found the information in either of these websites beneficial and helpful to your understanding of Bipolar Disorder. Here is the link to a PDF that has some great information also  http://www.dbsalliance.org/pdfs/mythsfinal.pdf    HUGS!!!!!😊⛄