Uticopa Blog

At a recent seminar on bipolar disorder at St. Andrew's University, the personality Stephen Fry discussed his condition with psychiatric students and practitioners. He has also made a series of programmes for the BBC about his condition and how it famously manifested itself in 1995 when he walked out of the West End play Cellmates.

Other celebrities who also suffer from bipolar include Hollywood actors Richard Dreyfus and Carrie Fisher, and British comedians Tony Slattery and Jo Brand. It is interesting to note how sufferers working in the creative arts can diffuse their talents in such a positive way. Conversely, history is littered with undoubted sufferers who went undiagnosed:  artists like Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, Van Gogh and Hemingway.

There is an interesting character in Eastenders on BBC TV called Jean Slater (the mother of Stacey). In recent weeks, the storyline has followed Jean's personality fluctuations: from the highs when she was close to her son Sean, followed by the lows when he went away. It was only when Jean finally realised the seriousness of her condition that it was revealed she had bipolar disorder.
What exactly is bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder is the modern term for what used to be called manic depression. It's a serious mental illness categorised by mood swings from manic (high) to depressed (low).

As with many illnesses, there is a wide bipolar spectrum, ranging from mild to extreme.

How do I know if I've got it?

Someone who's manic can feel excited, euphoric, extremely angry and/or irrationally irritable.  A normally shy person may suddenly lose his/her previous inhibitions and become delusional.  A general feeling of depression can swing towards suicidal feelings. At the very least, a person suffering from bipolar can feel unmotivated and anxious.

How should family members deal with it?

It's often hard to let go of the fear that another crisis is brewing. If a sufferer is holding her glass out for more wine, the family can wonder if she's approaching a ‘high'.  If the sufferer seems slightly withdrawn, should the family prepare to call her psychiatric support team or therapist?

Shame

The shame is often harder to deal with than the symptoms. A recent report found that most people with bipolar disorder have experienced discrimination from others.  Yet, if that same person was suffering from, say, diabetes - which is caused by an imbalance in blood sugar regulation - would they feel shame or suffer discrimination from the ignorance of others?  Of course not.  But bipolar is also caused by an imbalance in the body's systems.  The crucial difference is that it involves the chemistry of the brain.  There lies the stigma.

The earlier the diagnosis, the better

As with diabetes, bipolar disorder is managed rather than cured. It's considerably easier to treat sufferers who have just started to experience symptoms than those who've had it for decades. After the first few episodes, bipolar disorder becomes incrementally more difficult to treat.  People can do extremely well with a combination of therapy, lifestyle choice and medication.

The risk of suicide

The suicide risk for a person with bipolar is sixty times higher than the general population.  What can family and friends do?  It's certainly true that they can feel guilt after they witness a suicide attempt, but loving someone - however much - is never enough to save them. You must be proactive if you wish to do something constructive.  Notify a health professional, e.g. a G.P. or mental health therapist, as soon as you witness any worrying behaviour. Alternatively, pass on the number for The Samaritans (08457 909090, www.samaritans.org.uk), a charity that guarantees to provide confidential support 24/7.

But is it all doom and gloom?

No!  As we've seen above, many are the people with bipolar who go on to achieve fame and success by channelling their undoubted creative energies (which seem to go hand-in-hand with the disorder) into more positive avenues.
And, thanks to continuing research, future treatment is scheduled to be tailored precisely to each sufferer's particular symptoms.

Let's face it, compared with past generations - I'm thinking of sufferers such as Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf who came to untimely ends - the future looks so much brighter.  No longer will the one in 50 of our children who is destined to develop bipolar have to face the ignorance and ignominy that prevailed before. It is also significant that a popular TV soap, watched by millions, has included a character like Jean Slater.

Think of Stephen Fry - success is but a creative step away!