Bipolar Unveiled: A Journey Through Highs and Lows

Ups and downs are all part of every human being, in general itself. But what if I told you, the peaks and troughs can be a disorder, a problem by itself. Welcome to the world of what today comprises of, bipolar disorder. Now this term is not something new, it’s something everyone has heard it somewhere or not- be it in movies, amongst their family, or even as general lingo spewed around. This article or piece might just be to know what it is, but trust me, if and when you people read this, the role of “just getting to know what it is” might make all the difference in the world.

Abstract watercolor illustration depicting the dual emotional states associated with bipolar disorder, blending vibrant colors to express the contrasting experiences.

Starting with the word itself, BI-POLAR or two poles as the word signifies provides us with the very first hint. This came about in 1980’s as a term itself, even though there were other terms for the same in the past. Paying homage to the term itself, lets take this into two parts, like the poles of our earth - The N and S pole, and then talk about this as a whole.

THE NORTH POLE = Starting with the very top of the world, this signifies exactly how the person feels. It can be described as a feeling of invincibility, of power, of strength and all what every person wishes for in their life. This feeling is accompanied by the lack of basic human needs sometimes, including sleep and other biological functions, but that’s just about it, isn’t it? It has been signified that that’s what means to be a “superhero”- as the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. But here, regardless of how much it enhances your senses, injects into your creativity, makes you productive like a machine, time sped up from 0 to 60km/hour in no time and provides you with an- on cloud nine feeling, it is still one of the most missed in terms of the disorder itself, and which was and is a major problem for the population. All these features, combined with increased desire and risk-taking behavior, is the ultimate nail in the coffin. Basically, after all this if you are still confused, think of it as a supercharged brain loaded with caffeine, which we all have done at one point of our life- be it for an upcoming exam, conference, marriage, award function or anything else on these lines you can think of. Now these symptoms, when they disrupt life enough that all aspects of functioning are on a decline, is called Mania. While the milder version of it, just a grade below is called Hypomania. Further, going to the specifics, it may or may not involve the psychotic spectrum in Mania.

Two contrasting masks visually represent the emotional spectrum of bipolar disorder: one mask filled with words of sadness and anxiety, the other with words of joy and optimism.

THE SOUTH POLE = Flip over and come to the other end, the rock bottom, which is again what exactly these people feel. Starting with feeling low- not just any other low, the inability to do something one likes, losing interest in it and becoming a shell of themselves. Further, there is inconsolable crying spells, feeling like there is no point in living, distancing themselves from interactions, feeling like they are always running on empty and do not want to even get up from their beds. Wishes of wanting to be dead run high, and that’s the very more reason that these people have always got to be in the line of sight of their loved ones. The word “depressed” is very often thrown around, but this is what it really signifies. Here too just like our other pole, if severe enough of a depressive episode, it can involve a psychotic spectrum.

In fact, it’s interesting to know that in this disease, when one hits this “south” pole, and when others don’t recognize the same, after a while if it switches over to our “north” again, this is very much commonly disguised or misinterpreted as “improvement” or look he/she is back to their original self. Now you catch the reason of why bipolar disorder can be missed so often, even by the very best of the profession. This brings me to my next point, that the key term to know about Bipolar is that it is episodic. Meaning, even if a human cannot travel to both poles of our world even once, the ones suffering with this problem keep going to both ends in episodes, with a period of their perfectly normal self’s existent for a period.

And it is not as uncommon as you think, as about 1 in 100 can have this, and the grounds of the disorder is laid early in life, in our teens. Now let’s not make the assumption that these are for “mad” people alone, which might be the question running through most of the minds, but no, even the people at the very pinnacle of fame, rappers and singers, in our homeland and around the world- Yo Yo Honey Singh, Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Demi Lovato and even a blast from the past - Vincent Van Gogh, Beethoven are some people, just to name a few. The crux of the matter is these are who were open enough and wanted to spread the word, and came up in front to accept the same, we never might know, how many suffer in the dark or light, or in the open or in silence. Ending it on this very note, lets all, step forward, together understanding that having a bipolar disorder is not a mistake, or a curse, but it is rather something for all of us to face and identify, a tiny step to making each other’s lives better.

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About the Author:

Dr. Naveen R Pillai is a Postgraduate Resident at the Department of Psychiatry and Behaviour Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Science. Passionate about mental health awareness and research, he actively contributes to advancing psychiatric education and advocacy.

(For individuals in India experiencing bipolar disorder or related mental health concerns, here are some helplines that offer support: the 24/7 toll-free mental health rehabilitation helpline KIRAN (1800-599-0019) and the Tele MANAS helpline - 14416)