What Are Ya? Crazy?

So, I've decided that I wanted to bring awareness to people with mental disorders. This blog will have information about it and ways to help the people around you.

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Explore information on bipolar disorder, including signs and symptoms, treatment, current research, and clinical trials.

This is the link to the cite I used for my information.

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Bipolar Disorder- Treatment and Help

There are many different treatments for Bipolar Disorder. 

1) Medication- Different types of medication work for people. You might have to try multiple ones before you find one that works for you. Doctors usually use mood stabilizers, atypical anti psychotics, and anti depressants.

2) Psychotherapy- When done with medication it is very effective. There are a few different types of Psychotherapy.

-Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps people with bipolar disorder learn to change harmful or negative thought patterns and behaviors.

-Family-focused therapy, which involves family members. It helps enhance family coping strategies, such as recognizing new episodes early and helping their loved one. This therapy also improves communication among family members, as well as problem-solving.

-Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy, which helps people with bipolar disorder improve their relationships with others and manage their daily routines. Regular daily routines and sleep schedules may help protect against manic episodes.

3) Psychoeducation, which teaches people with bipolar disorder about the illness and its treatment. Psychoeducation can help you recognize signs of an impending mood swing so you can seek treatment early, before a full-blown episode occurs. Usually done in a group, psychoeducation may also be helpful for family members and caregivers.

4) Herbal Supplement

Friends can also be a big help by showing their friends and family members support. Learn about the disorder and keep yourself informed of their situation. Talk to them about it when and if you can. Invite them for positive distractions and remind them that with time, it will get better. 

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Bipolar Disorder- Signs/Symptoms

Bipolar Disorder has two different sets of signs. One for Manic episodes and the other for depressive episodes.

Manic Symptoms:

Mood Changes

1) A long period of being very happy

2) Being extremely irritable

Behavioral Changes

1) Talking fast and jumping from idea to idea

2) Being easily Distracted

3) Increasing Activities or taking on new Projects

4) Being Overly restless

5) Sleeping very little or not being tired

6) Unrealistic beliefs in their abilities

7) Behaving Impulsively or engaging in dangerous activities

Depressive Symptoms:

Behavioral Changes

1) Feeling tired

2) Having trouble concentrating, remembering and making decisions.

3) Being restless and Irritable

4) Changing eating, sleeping, or other habits

5) Thinking of or attempting suicide.

Mood Changes

1) Loss of interest in activities they once enjoyed.

2) A long period of feeling sad and hopeless

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Bipolar Disorder- General Information

Bipolar disorder is a disorder in the brain that causes changes in mood, energy, activity level, and ability to perform day to day activities. One cause for Bipolar Disorder is genetics. It can be passed through families. If a parent or sibling has it then you are more likely to get it. Another cause for the disorder is brain structure and function. An adult with Bipolar Disorder has a smaller prefrontal cortex. This causes the disorder to emerge in preteen years. 

There are four basic types of Bipolar Disorder.

Bipolar I Disorder- “defined by manic or mixed episodes that last at least seven days, or by manic symptoms that are so severe that the person needs immediate hospital care. Usually, depressive episodes occur as well, typically lasting at least 2 weeks .” (NIMH)

Bipolar II Disorder- “defined by a pattern of depressive episodes and hypomanic episodes, but no full-blown manic or mixed episodes.” (NIMH)

Bipolar Disorder Not otherwise Specified (BD-NOS)- “diagnosed when symptoms of the illness exist but do not meet diagnostic criteria for either bipolar I or II. However, the symptoms are clearly out of the person's normal range of behavior.” (NIMH)

Cyclothymic Disorder, or Cyclothymia- “a mild form of bipolar disorder. People with cyclothymia have episodes of hypomania as well as mild depression for at least 2 years. However, the symptoms do not meet the diagnostic requirements for any other type of bipolar disorder.” (NIMH)

A Sever kind of Bipolar disorder is Rapid-Cycling Bipolar Disorder. This occurs when a person has four or more episodes of major depression, mania, hypomania, or mixed states within a year. Rapid-Cycling Bipolar Disorder is more common in those who have their first Episode at an earlier age. The first is usually about four years earlier than those who do not have Rapid-Cycling Bipolar Disorder.

Bipolar Disorder is often miss diagnosed since most people won’t seek help during a manic episode.

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Discover the symptoms, causes, diagnosis advice, treatment options and related conditions of Dissociative disorders.

This is the link to the cite used for my information on Dissociative Disorders. I figured it would be easier to post the one link for all the relating posts at the end of each one.

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Dissociate Disorders- Treatment and Help

There are different types of treatments people can under go. Medication has been known to help as well as different psychotherapies. Cognitive Behavior Therapy helps with negative thinking and other feeling associated with depression. It helps to teach coping strategies. Dialectal Behavioral Therapy helps to combat destructive urges, regulate emotions, and improve relationships. It uses techniques like Meditation and self soothing. Eye Movement Desensitization and reprocessing alleviates distress associated with a traumatic event and helps replace the negative beliefs with positive ones. 

Other Ways that you can work towards helping yourself are:

1) Keeping some sort of journal. Writing or drawing while you dissociate side is out can help to improve awareness.

2) Mindfulness and using your senses to help guide you back when you are experiencing flashbacks. 

3) Letting Alternates emerge in safe locations so they can have experiences you may not have had. 

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Dissociate Disorders- Signs/Symptoms

There are a few different symptoms for dissociate disorders

1) Significant Memory Loss of specific times, people, and events

2) Out of body experiences, such as feeling like you are watching a movie of yourself

3) Other mental disorders such as Depression, Anxiety, and Thoughts of Suicide

4) A detachment from your emotions or emotional detachment. 

5) A lack of a sense of self identity

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Dissociate Disorders- General Information

It’s a disconnection with Thought, Identity, Consciousness, and Memory. About two percent of the population has one of the three Dissociate Disorders although everyone has at least one lapse in their life time.

The three different disorders consist of-

Dissociative Amnesia: The main symptom is Memory loss. It usually surrounds a particular event but it will, although rarely, effect a person’s entire history for periods of time. Commonly for short periods of times like minutes or days although it will occasionally last months and even years. 

Depersonalization Disorder: This one involves detachment of actions, feelings, thoughts, and sensations. It’s similar to watching a movie. There are times where even people and things will feel unreal. It last for moments but will return over the years. Usual onset is at the age of sixteen and only twenty percent of people develop it after the age of twenty.

Dissociative Identity Disorder: It was formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder. Usually the person feels there are one or more voices that are trying to take over. They usually experience gaps in their memory of everyday events, personal experiences, or traumatic events. Women are more often diagnosed because the men will display different symptoms than women, often more violent which causes inaccurate diagnoses.

This disorder is common in children who experience some form of Mental, Physical, or Sexual Abuse. Also common in the men and women who fight in wars. Can be brought on by a person’s culture or background.

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Introduction

So, to start out, I’m Hannah. I’m starting this blog because I want to bring awareness to people about Mental Disorders. I’ve watched friends struggle and struggled myself. I want to be able to help people who need it. So as a hand to hold, I decided to start this blog. I’ll be posting general information about Mental Disorders, ways to help, symptoms and signs. Now, I’m not some college student who is choosing to have a degree in this. In fact the career I want is nothing like this. All I want is to help people. With lots of research and time, I hope to help the people around me. Now, this is a school assignment, but that’s not where it’s going to end. I had been considering this for a while and this was just the push to do it. Once the assignment is over, I’ll still be continuing this blog. Helping people is more important than a grade