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Stacey Adams supports her son and a close member of the family both of whom suffer from Bipolar Disorder. At one time, Stacey was married to her husband who suffered from bipolar. Sadly, he died from suicide when her son was a very young child. At this time, Stacey works full time as an Executive Assistant in the development department.

As Stacy states, "To better support my son and educate myself on his disorder, I have read many books to include both medical and prescription books and have attended the Love and Logic parenting class as well as other Love and Logic classes. Though not all of the classes were very useful, I did find some of the techniques to be very helpful. Currently, my son is in a great treatment program, which provides group therapy and individual therapy, coupled with twice a month family counseling."

Bipolar Disorder is the new name used for manic depression. With this disorder, people suffer from severe mood swings, ranging from an exaggerated high to an extreme low. In addition to mood, people with bipolar also struggle with changes in behavior and energy. Common symptoms of a manic episode would include things such as the following:

• Increased level of energy, activity, and restlessness
• Extreme high or euphoric mood
• Elevated irritability
• Difficulty concentrating and distractibility
• Insomnia
• Fast, jumping thoughts
• Poor judgment
• Unrealistic understanding of power and ability
• Excessive spending
• Increased sexual drive
• Intrusive, provocative, or aggressive behavior
• Denial

For people with bipolar, the episode can last a few hours, half a day, a full day, one week, or longer. The challenge is that in addition to the symptoms, the individual lives with feelings of sadness, guilt, worthlessness and will often show a disinterest in life and an overall sense of hopelessness and fatigue. If the manic episode is mild to moderate, it is called Hypomania. Typically, family and friends would notice changes while the person with bipolar would be in denial. If the manic episode is severe, the person would be considered depressed with symptoms of psychosis, which could include hallucinations and delusions.

To make things more challenging, for some people, both symptoms of depression and mania can be combined, which is known as a "mixed bipolar state." With this, the symptoms would include difficulty sleeping, agitation, psychosis, dramatic change in appetite, and thoughts of suicide. Because this can be extremely serious, it is crucial the person with bipolar be treated by a doctor and/or therapist who specializes in Bipolar Disorder.

Today, Stacey is working with a family advocate, which helps when situations are overwhelming. In addition, Stacy works with a regional group that helps families in financial matters and activities or that is just there to bounce ideas off of - a sounding board if you will. Stacey continues,

I have been through many situations, issues, legal, tantrums, emotions, and jobs. I do not claim to be an expert, nor am I able to diagnose or give medical advice. However, I feel that through my experience that I have grown and learned how to cope, manage, support, accept, and understand bipolar and all it involves. I know this illness has its ups, downs, and a mixture of emotions at any given time. As with knowledge, my only hope is to help others gain information that will be helpful to them.

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Featured Article:

Bipolar Serenity Prayer

by Michele Soloway Sexton

I have a friend named Larry Drain, who has his own website and writes about bipolar disorder, as well as other mental illnesses. He once said that the Serenity Prayer was the best description he knew of successful recovery from bipolar disorder. I was so impressed by his version that I decided to print it here in its entirety:

God - Life is about more than me. There is a meaning and design to the world independent of what I think or feel. The first (and maybe biggest) trap of bipolar is to convince you that "it" is all about you and the measure of how things are is how you feel. "Life is not about what I can or cannot control, thank goodness, because so much of this is beyond my control." There is a "higher power." There is someone to turn to when I feel all alone and powerless and all feels loss.

Click here to read the entire article

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