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Children and adults can suffer from bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression).  The disease is something many people do not understand and something that stigmatizes people.

"I started using drugs and alcohol as a teenager in an attempt to somehow "fix" what was wrong with me. Although I didn't understand it, I knew that I had mental problems."

More than 2 million American adults have bipolar disorder. It typically develops in late adolescence or early adulthood. However, some people have their first bipolar symptoms during childhood, and some develop them late in life. It is often not recognized as an illness, and people may suffer for years before it is properly diagnosed and treated.

For those who have already been diagnosed with manic depression and are in treatment, we want to help you learn as much as you can about bipolar disorder and to offer you support in your recovery. We want to give you up-to-date information about what bipolar disorder is (and what it isn't).

We believe that the more you understand about bipolar disorder and issues like medications, the more likely you are to get the full benefit of treatment.

And if you haven't been diagnosed but think you may have bipolar disorder, read on. It may help you to decide to see a doctor or mental health therapist for evaluation and/or treatment.

Re: It's Getting Closer
lonely828 wrote:

Keep having crying spells all week. they just hit me out of nowhere...and then i cant keep crying, I stop right away, I cant finish it.. it's just involuntary.. and out of the blue... Continue reading and give me your comments if you can help me, when you click here.

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Inspiring Trudeau's Message on her Bipolar Struggle and the Recovery Process

Bipolar Illness and Crime: A Difficult Connection To Prove

Jenifer Lewis (Hairspray) on Bipolar Disorder

more bipolar news here

Coping Tips for Family Members

It is imperative that you seek out and learn all you possibly can about bipolar disorder. Like a general fighting a battle you are going to need all the ammunition you can garner at your disposal. There are many different sources of information...books, films, internet, support groups and others. Take from as many as you can and learn.

Visit Coping Tips for Family Members to continue reading when you click here.

Riding the Windhorse: Manic-Depressive Disorder and the Quest for Wholeness

In this moving account of his struggles with manic-depressive disorder, distinguished philosopher Robert S. Corrington, creator of the school of ecstatic naturalism, presents a compelling argument for rethinking the nature of this malady. Corrington details the latest medical, psychological, and spiritual thinking about bipolar disease; a disorder characterized by extreme mood swings and that is responsible for many untimely deaths each year.

Buy the book. Other books on Bipolar Disorder.