Rise Bipolar

20/03/2024

Researchers have identified that more than 21% of people w BP show symptoms of OCD. Meanwhile, one in four patients with OCD have another condition (whether its bipolar or some other illness).

"Comorbidity" is when the simultaneous presence of two or more diseases/illnesses in a patient. Studies are often done on Bipolar comorbidities because while its still a very complex illness, it seems to be linked to several others.

I know from my bipolar chat groups that BP is often not the only issue people are dealing with, so it seems MAYBE A MORE HOLISTIC WAY OF VIEWING THE PATIENT is needed i.e. seeing the patient as a whole rather than dividing them into individual diagnoses and problems to address separately. What are YOUR thoughts?
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Image thanks to Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Further reading: search "bipolar ocd peer reviewed articles" on google

19/03/2024

We try to make our posts upbeat at Rise Bipolar so you'll have to read to the end if you want to feel empowered, and not discouraged.

A new study out of the University of Michigan compares Bipolar life expectancies with other health risks. In particular, it points out that people with BP are more than 2X as likely to die prematurely than people who smoke ci******es. I must explain- this is not all due to su***de as some might wonder, this is due to us having higher rates of obesity and heart disease, cirrhosis from alcohol abuse, cancer from smoking, basically, people with BP are unfortunately a demographic that is known for very poor health lifestyle.

So the point here is in fact that we have a lot of power. Patients with bipolar disorder dont need to be just medicated and thats it. We need to be coached, encouraged, therapied, whatever into making positive life choices. At Rise we believe that patients with BP can have a great impact on treatment outcomes- how frequent and severe their depressions and (hypo)manias are. Well here is proof as well that you can live longer. Just start today. Go for walks, its as simple as that. And if you're a smoker or have substance abuse issues, you owe it to yourself and your body to get counseling on how to stop. Please, think positively, think about a positive future, and start today.
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Image thanks to Emma Simpson at Unsplash
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12/03/2024

People with BP can have wonderful relationships. There are challenges to face, here's a few tips that might help...

- Sharing the diagnosis: A person with bipolar disorder may feel empowered by sharing their diagnosis in a new relationship. Not everyone will understand how bipolar disorder can affect a person’s life. Telling a partner about bipolar disorder and noticing how they respond is one way to gauge whether they are likely to be supportive.

- Being consistent with treatment: This is the best way to reduce symptoms, but the treatments that work best may vary for each person. Regular exercise, yoga, mindfulness, or journaling may also help support a person’s overall well-being.

- Sharing mood changes: This can help both partners recognize and respond to a high or low period before it worsens. Telling a partner what to expect during manic or depressive episodes, as well as recognizing and telling them about warning signs, can help ensure that they do not blame themselves.

- Listening to feedback: If a partner tells a person with bipolar disorder that they have noticed signs of a mood change, it is vital to listen to them. Listening to and discussing feedback without being defensive can help improve intimacy.

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Image thanks to Joe Yates at Unsplash

09/03/2024

People with BP can have wonderful relationships. For partners, here are some tips that may help when things get challenging.

- Learning about the condition: Read reputable, well-sourced health information websites can help give a balanced view of the condition.

- Asking about triggers: This means knowing and avoiding the things that are more likely to worsen the symptoms of a manic or depressive episode in a partner. Possible triggers include stressful work situations, lack of sleep, and missed doses of medication. However, mood changes can also occur without triggers.

- Asking about behaviors: What behaviors are typical for a person with bipolar disorder during high or low periods can help their partner recognize these shifts in mood. This enables the partner to distinguish usual behaviors from symptoms of bipolar disorder.

- Supporting treatment: What is the treatment plan, and are there any ways the partner can support it?

- Creating a support plan: It can be useful to plan activities, make a list of useful contacts such as a trusted relative or a therapist, and adjust the daily routine to help a person with bipolar disorder cope from day to day. Having a support plan in place reassures both partners that they will know how to respond to a very high or low period.

- Communicating feelings: High or low periods may be emotional for both partners so open communication is crucial. A partner should explain how the behavior of the person with bipolar disorder makes them feel, without judging the person or stigmatizing the condition.

- Practicing self-care: It is vital for the partner of a person with bipolar disorder to support their own mental health by practicing self-care. This can strengthen the relationship and improve their ability to care for their partner. Self-care strategies include:
talking with a friend or family member about relationship issues
practicing a hobby
getting regular exercise
seeing a therapist
not being the partner’s only source of support
stress-relief techniques such as mindfulness or meditation

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Image thanks to Everton Vila from Unsplash

06/03/2024

Maybe he's just saying, everyone has their own perspective. Everyone has their own troubles, dreams, needs. If we take a step outside ourselves and look at the lives of those around us, we realise that our own struggles and achievements are much more mundane.

Its hard to diagnose historical figures, but many believe this influential American author suffered from bipolar disorder. We don't believe his use of "mad" is quite correct, but we'll give him a pass for having gifted us Huckleberry Finn, which is far from politically correct in itself...
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Photo credit Prints and Photographs Division/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

28/02/2024

Its a fact and you can find it all over peer-reviewed scientific literature. Although its hard to maintain a healthy, balanced diet, it can help with our mental health. Now, there's NO CURE for Bipolar Disorder or most mood disorders. They're treatable, but our medicines can only do so much.

We've got to TAKE THINGS INTO OUR OWN HANDS, we have power. Here's the top main reasons that re-evaluating your eating habits and building a healthy diet can improve your mental health:
1) A healthy balanced diet helps improve quality of sleep, very necessary for people with BP and other mental illnesses
2) Living with obesity and being overweight can negatively affect your mental health, and causes physical health problems which are emotionally hard to deal with.
3) Certain vitamins, minerals, fats, etc. are essential to healthy brain function and can only be obtained from a diverse diet.

There are more, Im sure many people would love to expand on this list. But this is just what I could find based on scientific studies and proof related to bipolar disorder. You have the power, take it in small steps, and make changes that will improve your body and mind- don't leave your treatment only up to your psychiatrist.
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Photo thanks to Pablo Merchan Montes from Unspash

26/02/2024

Its not just beautiful, its a good place to be. Remember, the world is a good place,I am a good person, good things will happen to me. This is how you need to change your perspective.

It can be hard sometimes with things like war, disease, hunger, poverty, staring at us. But those who practice positive psychology see the glass half full. They see most people as either good people or neutral people. They see most parts of the world as nice, peaceful places. They see a natural cycle of life and death and know that the world is good, no matter what it gives and takes from us.

Think of this the next time you step outside, because its true almost anywhere you may be; I am in a good place.
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Image thanks to Greg Rakozy

22/02/2024

A friendly reminder to use up your sick leave- whether its for your mental wellbeing or just to appreciate life...

I would never have been able to fit in to the business world as a "successful" person with bipolar 1 and epilepsy if I didn't take all the forms of leave my employers would allow. And when I come back from leave, I do an even better job. So don't feel guilty, catch a cold when you need to.
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Photo credit Matthew henry from Unsplash

Join the movement- change the image and outlook of bipolar through positive psychology and education

21/02/2024

Its true isn't it? HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED THIS, where you feel like you're in a different world because of your mood disorder symptoms?

Whether we're sitting on a mountain top, or just at home doing chores, some peoples' BASELINE HAPPINESS CAN BE DIFFERENT. Its a burden for many people. Their perspectives are different. Who knows, she's happy with that mountain sunrise, but is her brain letting her enjoy it to its fullest?

Its our hope at Rise Bipolar that TOGETHER WITH can help us change our , our baseline, make us smile more, and together with proper medical treatment, help affect the prognosis of our disorders. Like and share our page with others if you believe in our mission, that everyone deserves to experience a beautiful world, and that we can get there if we find the right formula.
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Photo thanks to Denys Nevozhai at Unsplash

19/02/2024

Can't sleep? Did you know that bipolar disorder is marked by sleep irregularities during all phases of the disorder, including euthymia (a balanced state of emotions that comes in between manias and depressions for some).

Sleep is affected by both our circadian system, which are the changes an organism naturally experiences over 24 hours, and our sleep-wake homeostasis, which is our body's ability to maintain activities such as breathing and blood pressure naturally. So besides the meddling of our imbalanced neurotransmitters, the bodies of people with bipolar disorder actually lend themselves to imbalanced sleep. Helpful...

Well we have found that besides practicing good "sleep hygiene", mindfulness and gratitude do help. Mindfulness might be something like a body scan exercise, which we have posted on in the past and can revisit if you're interested. Gratitude is also a powerful agent for inducing positive thoughts you can use to drift of to sleep to. Try using a memory, or a person. Then explore every single detail about that memory or person that you are grateful for. If its that time you got to see a koala, how did the whole day go? If its the person you did it with, what do they look like, sound like, how do they treat you, etc. These thoughts, with your eyes closed and body resting, give you a pretty good shot at falling asleep naturally.

You should also of course consult your doctor about sleep irregularities, because they can be important signs of dangerous mood shifts, or even the cause of them.
*written at 3:30am... going to reflect on my gratitude for Rise Bipolar now, hopefully will get me to sleep...
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Thanks to Cris Saur at Unsplash for the image
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18/02/2024

A new study has revealed that telehealth has some real benefits when treating bipolar patients. Compared to in-person visits, medication adherence was greater, follow-up appointments were more common, surprisingly though the number of annual appointments decreased. For some reason, still, many psychiatrists refuse to conduct telehealth appointments post-pandemic. So what's your preference, do you like to see your doc face to face or prefer telehealth appointments?

For further reading, see the Journal of Clinical Psychology January edition, "Telehealth Collaborative Care Led by Clinical Pharmacists for People With Psychosis or Bipolar Disorder: A Propensity Weighted Comparison With Usual Psychiatric Care" https://www.psychiatrist.com/jcp/pharmacist-led-telehealth-in-people-with-psychosis-or-bipolar-disorder/
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Photograph thanks to Mary Eineman at Unsplash

16/02/2024

Just clicking "like", commenting, or following takes courage because of the stigma against mental health. I considered this when naming this movement- should I take out the word bipolar and just call it "Rise Wellness" or something?

Know that I am proud and grateful for each of you who does follow this growing movement, I see every like as a mark of courage, and I hope that you learn and benefit from my page.

Bet you didn't know this: both of the Wright brothers, who were first to achieve flight of a heavier-than-air controlled craft, were believed to have Autism Spectrum Disorder or Asperger's. Its amazing when you look at history and all the great people who have made an impact with mental health issues, it really makes you believe, mental illness doesn't have to hold you back. Maybe even, just maybe it could be your superpower?
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Image thanks to History in HD from Unsplash
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Join the movement- change the image and outlook of bipolar through positive psychology and education