We Pray to the Lord - Part 6 - That We May Learn To Listen To Those With Bipolar Disorder

After the death of Robin Williams
I realize that I have still have a few blog entries
related to Bipolar Disorder
just waiting to get published on my pc.

I haven't blogged much here at liturgy house lately,
and now,
well, now I'm pushed to finish this Bipolar series.

It angers me when people say things like
"if you accept Jesus Christ. . . "
Acceptance of Jesus doesn't take away our life's struggles.
In fact,
I dare say it only increases them.
Those who carry the cross of Bipolar Disorder
carry something tremendous.
To say "if they only accept Jesus"
is like blaming them for their illness.
We wouldn't dare say the same
to someone with cancer,would we?
On the contrary,
would would pray with great fervor for them.

Why aren't we praying with fervor
for those with Bipolar Disorder?
Why?

Rest in God's sweet peace, Robin Williams.
At least now you are at peace.
Now you are in peace. . . .

People,
I beg you,
listen.
Listen well.

Listening is an art.
Learn to listen.
Learn to look and see.
Learn to feel
and listen well.
The art listening could be the difference
between life and death
for those living with Bipolar Disorder.

I love this video.
In a poetic way
the creator of this video
gives us a glimpse
into what it is like to have Bipolar Disorder.
And very briefly and swiftly
explains why those with Bipolar Disorder
are often confronting a dual diagnosis.

And this 2nd video,
well it just made me cry.
I love the music chosen,
"stay with me."
. . .such desperation in the text.
Listen, my friends,
and listen well.
Bipolar Disorder is very real.

That we learn to listen to and accompany those with Bipolar Disorder,
We pray to the Lord.

* * * * * *

Part 1 - For Those Who are Ill

Part 2 - For A Better Understanding of Bipolar Disorder

Part 3 - For A Better Understanding Of The Medications Used To Treat Bipolar Disorder

Part 4 - To Get To Know Others With Bipolar Disorder

Part 5 -  For A Better Understanding Of The Different Types Of Bipolar Disorder

* Part 6 - That We May Learn To Listen To Those With Bipolar Disorder

Part 7 - What Can I Do To Help Someone With Bipolar Disorder?

Part 8 - To Learn More About Bipolar Disorder

We Pray to the Lord - Part 5 - For A Better Understanding Of The Different Types of Bipolar Disorder

Hopefully,
in the previous blog entries
you’ve come to understand a little bit
about Bipolar Disorder.

Unfortunately,
Bipolar Disorder
is a VERY complicated illness.
One isn’t simply “Bipolar.”
In fact,
there are five different types
of Bipolar Disorder:
- Bipolar I
- Bipolar II
- Rapid Cycling Bipolar
- Mixed Bipolar
- Cyclothymia
Even Bipolar III is now being diagnosed.

In our household,
we have had to live with Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder.

This video gives a brief
yet informative description
of the various types
of Bipolar Disorder.

Hopefully,
by now,
you begin to understand
why in a previous blog entry
I said that if your doctor
isn’t helping you should fire them
and find a doctor who truly cares,
who truly helps.
As I keep stating,
Bipolar Disorder
is a VERY complicated and serious illness.



For those who life with Bipolar Disorder,
We Pray to The Lord.

For a better understanding of Bipolar Disorder,
We Pray to the Lord.

* * * * * *

Part 1 - For Those Who are Ill

Part 2 - For A Better Understanding of Bipolar Disorder

Part 3 - For A Better Understanding Of The Medications Used To Treat Bipolar Disorder

Part 4 - To Get To Know Others With Bipolar Disorder

* Part 5 -  For A Better Understanding Of The Different Types Of Bipolar Disorder

Part 6 - That We May Learn To Listen To Those With Bipolar Disorder

Part 7 - What Can I Do To Help Someone With Bipolar Disorder?

Part 8 - To Learn More About Bipolar Disorder

We Pray to the Lord - Part 4: To Get To Know Others With Bipolar Disorder

I love this video.
It shows us many famous people
who have,
or may have had Bipolar Disorder.

There is hope.
One of the things I have ALWAYS said
is that Bipolar Disorder
brings out extreme creativity.
The challenge
is to use that creativity
in ways that are productive.

I am inspired by this video.
It shows us that what we once saw as curse,
Bipolar Disorder,
can actually be gift
we if learn to channel that energy.

And isn’t that the challenge
in any of life’s struggle?
The challenge
is always
in learning how to b3 blessed in the struggle.

For those who struggle with Bipolar Disorder,
We pray to the Lord.

God bless the struggle.

       

The people in the video:

00:10 President - Abraham Lincoln
00:17 Musician - Adam Ant
00:25 Actor - Ben Stiller
00:30 Actor - Burgess Meredith
00:34 Astronaut - Buzz Aldrin
00:44 Author - Charles Dickens
00:48 Nurse - Florence Nightingale
00:53 Director - Francis Ford Coppola
00:57 Boxer - Frank Bruno
01:02 Scientist - Isaac Newton
01:06 Actor - Jean Claude Van Damme
01:10 Musician - Jimi Hendrix
01:14 Actor - Linda Hamilton
01:19 Composer - Ludwig Van Beethoven
01:27 Prime Minister - Winston Churchill
01:32 Music Producer - Phil Spector
01:36 Director - Tim Burton
01:41 Actor - Richard Dreyfuss
01:46 Musician - Ray Davies
01:50 Model - Sophie Anderston
01:53 Musician - Sting
02:00 Musician - Kurt Cobain
02:04 Actor - Ned Beatty
02:14 Musician - Ozzy Osbourne
02:18 Actor - Jim Carey
02:22 Actor - Robert Downey, Jr.
02:28 Actor - Robin Williams
02:31 Actor - Spike Milligan
02:36 Actor - Stephen Fry
02:41 Artist - Vincent Van Gogh

* * * * * *

Part 1 - For Those Who are Ill

Part 2 - For A Better Understanding of Bipolar Disorder

Part 3 - For A Better Understanding Of The Medications Used To Treat Bipolar Disorder

* Part 4 - To Get To Know Others With Bipolar Disorder

Part 5 -  For A Better Understanding Of The Different Types Of Bipolar Disorder

Part 6 - That We May Learn To Listen To Those With Bipolar Disorder

Part 7 - What Can I Do To Help Someone With Bipolar Disorder?

Part 8 - To Learn More About Bipolar Disorder

We Pray to the Lord - Part 2: For Better Understanding of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder.
In the past it was known as  manic-depressive illness.

More than a mood disorder,
it is actually a brain disorder
that causes shifts in mood,
shifts in energy and activity levels.
Sometimes it makes it next to impossible
to carry out normal daily life.

Mind you,
these are NOT the normal ups and downs
of day to day living.
Bipolar ups and downs are severe, extreme.

In the severe “Up” state
(the manic or hypo-manic state)
the person can manage on little sleep,
if they sleep at all.
They might do something like start putting laundry away,
then shift to cleaning out the closet. . .
. . and before you know it the whole bedroom is re-arranged,
cleaned from top to bottom. . .maybe even painted. . .
And all this happened when the rest of the house was asleep.
And morning comes,
with no sleep having been had,
but another day with other “projects” begins. . . .

Lack of sleep
may bring about
hypnagogic hallucinations,
which has her own set of problems.
Hypnagogic Hallucinations
is the hearing voices,
but this is due to lack of sleep.
It’s like dreaming while you are awake.
It’s like being half awake
and half asleep.
One hears what one would hear
while dreaming in the full sleep state.

In the manic state,
the person may be extremely chatty
and not quite able to understand
why everyone else is not as busy and productive as they are.
It’s often next to impossible
to interrupt the chattiness
as they have so much to say.
They have a hundred million different thoughts
racing through their head
and are trying to get them all out.
And they have a million projects
going on in their head as well.
They become busy and active
trying to accomplish everything
that is going on in their head.

And then there is the “down” state.
It can happen suddenly, quickly.
One moment the person is active, productive
doing all sorts of works and projects,
and quite literally a moment later
they take a 180 and are down. . .
depressed, sleeping.

The shifts in mood can last several days
or even weeks.
The shift can come with little or no warning at all.

Some with bipolar disorder
experience this 2 or 3 times a year.
Some cycle quickly,
in a matter of weeks.
Our household
has experienced
the Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder.

Bipolar disorder
often develops in a person's late teens
or early adult years.
At least half of all cases start before age 25.
Some people have their first symptoms during childhood,
while others may develop symptoms late in life.

Bipolar disorder is not easy to spot when it starts.
The symptoms may seem like separate problems,
not recognized as parts of a larger problem.
Those around a person with Bipolar Disorder
might see the separate events
as occurring after some specific event,
the loss of a job, a relationship break-up,
death of a loved one. . .
and, therefore,
miss the mark.

Sometimes,
the events are not so major.
The person might fail to pay phone bill,
even though they have sufficient funds,
and the phone gets turned off.
Or they fail to put laundry away
and things around the house start to pile up.
The depression, the down side,
is so severe,
that these simple every day tasks
are seemingly impossible to do.

Seeing these events,
both the large and small events,
as separate events that might cause depression,
those around a person with Bipolar Disorder
fail to connect the dots.
And so,
many fail to see
that these are all bits and pieces
of a much larger puzzle.

And because of this
some people suffer for years
before they are properly diagnosed and treated.
Like diabetes or heart disease,
bipolar disorder is a long-term illness
that must be carefully managed
throughout a person's life.

And for goodness sake,
find the right doctor.
We spend more time shopping for a used car
than we do for a good doctor.
If your doctor isn’t answering your questions
or helping in the way you need,
fire him/her
and find a doctor who will.
Seriously,
fire your doctor.
This is too important
not to get the help that is needed.

In my next blog entry
I will discuss a bit
about how the medications work
and what exactly they are prescribed for.

For now, though,
you might glean a little something more
from this video.
It’s brief and very informative.

 
For a better understanding of Bipolar Disorder,
We Pray to the Lord.

For those with Bipolar Disorder,
We Pray to the Lord.

* * * * * *

Part 1 - For Those Who are Ill

* Part 2 - For A Better Understanding of Bipolar Disorder

Part 3 - For A Better Understanding Of The Medications Used To Treat Bipolar Disorder

Part 4 - To Get To Know Others With Bipolar Disorder

Part 5 -  For A Better Understanding Of The Different Types Of Bipolar Disorder

Part 6 - That We May Learn To Listen To Those With Bipolar Disorder

Part 7 - What Can I Do To Help Someone With Bipolar Disorder?

Part 8 - To Learn More About Bipolar Disorder