Thursday, June 18, 2009

Bipolar Symptom Support Group for Bipolar Mania

By Ken P Doyle

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depressive illness, is a serious mood disorder that affects approximately one percent of Americans. Though many people focus on the depressive episodes associated with the illness, it's important to note that bipolar mania requires just as much attention and support.

What are the Symptoms of Bipolar Mania?

Opposite of depression, bipolar manias most common symptoms include increased energy, decreased need for sleep, rapid speech, euphoria, hypersexuality, and impulsiveness. Bipolar mania can be described as "hyper" which many people experience.

Racing thoughts, which can be disjointed, is a common symptom not always noticeable by family or friends. Easily distracted, even by things that seem not important, patients can often be seen in conversations with people suffering from the same symptom. Bipolar mania patient will make "clang associations," which is the association of words based on how they sound and jump from topic to topic quickly.

In some cases the impulsiveness associated with bipolar mania can be dangerous. Patients do not think about the consequences of their actions because their judgments are impaired. This leads to reckless and risky behaviors that may even endanger the patient, or others. Bipolar support groups are important in the treatment and management of bipolar mania.

What Support is there for Bipolar Mania?

Bipolar support groups can be very beneficial to those struggling with bipolar mania. Not only can the patient relate to others in the group, it also helps him or her put feelings, decisions, and thoughts into perspective. Many bipolar support groups are incorporated into the regular psychotherapy for the treatment of manic depressive illness. This is usually in addition to seeing a psychiatrist or counselor on a regular basis.

Led by a counselor or psychiatrist who facilitates meetings, gets patients talking, and offers expert advice about comments and questions that come up, bipolar support groups are a great "sounding board" for patients. It is a place where they are reminded about many of the decisions they're making are because of the illness and not of how they are feeling.

People with bipolar depression can get the support they want, but because they feel "good" when at the manic episode, they don't want to seek the support they need, and this can be just as dangerous as not getting help when feeling depressed. Great resources can be offered by bipolar support groups to those with bipolar mania or depression episodes.

Where Can I Get More Information?

Available online are lots of information on bipolar mania and bipolar support groups. Educating the public about manic depressive illness, one very valuable website is knowingbipolardisorder.com, which is an authority site covering a variety of topics helpful to patients. It includes specific articles about bipolar support groups and bipolar mania.

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