Raising awareness for World Bipolar Day

World Bipolar Day (WBD) is held annually on March 30 and is aimed at bringing awareness to bipolar conditions and eliminating social stigma and discrimination. The goal of WBD is to provide information about bipolar disorders around the world, in hopes that it will educate and improve understanding and sensitivity to the illness.

March 30 was chosen because it is the birthday of famous painter Vincent Van Gogh, who is widely believed to have had bipolar disorder.

According to the Mayo Clinic, bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings, including mania/hypomania, becoming very energetic or agitated, feeling a distorted sense of well-being, needing much less sleep than usual, being unusually talkative, and/or having racing thoughts. Major depressive episodes, having a depressed mood, feeling sad, empty, or hopeless, showing a lack of interest in all or most activities, losing an excessive amount of weight, and experiencing thoughts of suicide are also symptoms. Episodes of mood swings may occur rarely or multiple times a year and each episode usually lasts several days.

There are several different types of bipolar-related disorders such as bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, cyclothymia and others. Bipolar I disorder is evident in individuals who have had at least one manic episode that came either before or after hypomanic or major depressive episodes. Bipolar II disorder is demonstrated by having at least one major depressive episode and at least one hypomanic episode, but without the presence of manic episodes. Cyclothymia is diagnosed by having at least two years — or one year for children — of many periods of hypomania symptoms and periods of depressive symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Treatment for bipolar disorder is best guided by a psychiatrist who is skilled in diagnosing and treating the disorder. There are several medications that are used to treat bipolar disorder, prescribed based on symptoms. Mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety medications are all common medicines. Mood stabilizers help control manic episodes and may also help relieve depressive periods. Antidepressants can be prescribed by a health-care professional to manage depression. Anti-anxiety medications can ease anxiety and help with sleep but are typically used on a short-term basis because they can be misused when taken for too long.

According to the World Health Organization, it is estimated that the global prevalence of bipolar disorder is around 2.8 per cent and is the sixth leading cause of disability in the world. Responding to this global issue, groups like the Asian Network of Bipolar Disorder (ANBD), International Bipolar Foundation (IBPF) and International Society for Bipolar Disorder (ISBD) are supporting efforts to investigate biological causes, better treatments, better methods of diagnosis and strategies for living a good life with the disorder.

For individuals living with bipolar disorder, World Bipolar Day is a chance to connect with others, receive useful resources and build relationships. This World Bipolar Day, I encourage everyone to take a moment to learn about bipolar disorder. If you or anyone you know has bipolar disorder, help break the stigma around bipolar disorder by showing others that having the disorder is not something to be ashamed of. Share your story and use this day to educate others. Resources for information on bipolar disorder include the International Bipolar Foundation, Canadian Psychology Association and The National Alliance on Mental Health.

» Madeleine Brown is a Grade 11 student at École secondaire Neelin High School.