Approximately 8 million American adults may be affected with bipolar disorder. People with bipolar disorder experience extreme mood swings from lows called bipolar depression to highs called bipolar mania. To further explore the impact of bipolar depression on people’s lives, the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare and AstraZeneca commissioned a new online survey of 2,005 patients living with bipolar disorder and 500 physicians who treat patients with bipolar disorder. Much of the findings from this survey are cause for alarm.

Despite being treated for bipolar disorder, some patients continue to struggle with functioning in their day-to-day lives, particularly as a result of bipolar depression.

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On March 4, 2010, John Bendell shot two police officers at the entrance to the Pentagon. He and I have a feared and very personal trait in common.

Like me – and 5.7 million other Americans – Mr. Bendell had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. However, unlike Mr. Bendell, most of those 5.7 million and I have never committed a crime and are not violent.

The shooting at the Pentagon was a tragedy. Two police officers were wounded and Mr. Bendell was fatally shot as officers justifiedly returned fire. The fact that Mr. Bendell had bipolar disorder can in no way excuse his evil act. However, it would be a grave error to conclude from this crime that there is a causal link between bipolar and violence. And it would promote a prejudicial myth about the vast majority of people who have bipolar and are not violent.

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Not too long ago, researchers identified two genes that determine if someone will come down with bipolar disorder or not. They are the ANK3 and the CACNA1C gene. The next step is to find out why some people get the disease and others don’t.

Scientist have long been looking at the relationships between bipolar disorder and heredity. And it has now become almost impossible to dismiss the idea that genetics play a large role in the disease. For instance, somewhere around four percent of everyone in the country has some degree of bipolar disease.

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Research on brain structure and function, neurochemical messenger systems (neurotransmitters), and brain-body connections suggests fundamental, delicate, two-way relationships between the brain’s environment and mood, behavior, and resistance to disease.

One focus of brain research has been to identify and integrate traditional medical and psychiatric knowledge with new psychobiological and “psychoneuroimmunologic” data.

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Well first off I had my first visit with my doctor to get me on some meds.I’ve resently found out I have Bipolar 2. He’s got me on Sertraline for the depression. I take half a pill for 4 days and then a full one after that daily. He also gave me Divalproex for the “mood swings” He said not to take that unless i start feeling naughty lol. I had to laugh.

Even though I still don’t understand it all yet. But needless to say I’m on the right road. I’ve come here for some support and some thoughts on my situation. I’ve messed up my family pretty bad from my actions 3 months ago. I blew 700$ on junk instead of paying the bills and I left my fiance to have a relationship with a guy I met off the internet. These actions now make sense to me, and we’ve discusssed who, what, where, and why. But he’s told me that he won’t come back home until I’m emotionally stable. I truly do understand what I’ve done wrong, and I understand why he feels the way he does.

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Could a Person With This Mental illness feel safe with their partner, could they honestly trust their partner, could they think of the present more than the past or future, could they become down-to-earth and feel calm with their spouse/partner? Or are they doomed to be insecure for their entire life?-

Just asking cause my best friend(of ten years has Bipolar I) and my Mother(Bipolar II with split personality disorder) has this mental illness. I doubt my mother will ever feel that way but what about my best friend?

I know a lot of people won’t get into serious relationships with people with bipolar disorder because bipolar people tend to cause friction in relationships and aren’t very stable. But if you met a guy/girl who was bipolar and fell in like/love with them then found out they were bipolar, would you stay by their side or look for someone more stable?

I met my man last year around June and fell in love with him. I’m 20 and he was 28 at the time. He’s got a big heart and loves me so much and vice versa. However due to his illness I am scared I’m losing interest in him b/c of his disrespect and lack of affection.
I met a guy I worked with 3 months into our realationship. I cheated and then told my man a month later. The guilt was terrible. 1 year later we get in a HUGE fight and I left for the night. I went to the guys house that I had cheated on my man with and slept with him. I get butterflies when I’m around him. We have so much more in common then my man now. I know my man loves me so much. I don’t know if I’m ready to marry with such disrespect he shows me. I’m trying to get my own place but my man says he will break up with me. I’ve never had a place by myself. I’ve never had time for me. Should I break up with a great man for my own freedom and break his heart? I don’t know what he’d do if I left him. I can’t bare to hurt him.

Okay,I recently went back on meds for bipolarII.For the last 6 months my fiance and I have been pretty much fighting nonstop.We also had a baby six months ago and I was dealing with post partum depression.Him and I have been together for over 2 years now,but I think he has come to the end of his ability to deal with me.I would of gone back on meds sooner,but had no medical coverage.About 3 weeks ago I went all out and we got into a huge argument.No fighting but a lot of yelling.The thing is I can’t really remember any of it,and I wasn’t drunk or anything.Since I got back on meds things have been better,no arguments or anything,and I am finally beginning to enjoy life again.But he is still in the frame of mind that things aren’t going to change and he can’t get over the argument we had.He thinks maybe after I deal with “all of this” we can work things out,but until then he thinks we need a break.Yet he still tells me he loves me and wants to kiss and hold me everyday.No idea what to do!
We had been trying to go to couples counseling before I got back on meds, but that guy thought I was fine and the bipolar stuff was all in my head, so I never really wanted to go to our sessions. And I will be staying on meds as my trust fund just became effective so I have the money for it even w/o insurance.
I am on wellbutrin sr 100(made me sick when he tried a higher dose so we are working up to it) and he is looking into lithium, but I don’t want to have to constantly monitor my blood. I am also on Abilify for right now(wb is causing me to not sleep well and I don’t want to have access to a full bottle of sleeping pills, so he gave me a week supply of these.)

I have been in 4 relationships and they all left me because of my moods and not having medication It hurts and it seems like im gone be single for the rest of my life.