Bipolar Dancer

“this poem hit close to home. I understand it, I deal with this disorder on a daily basis. I lose sleep, I can‘t control how I feel and I take daily medication. Bipolar disorder is a real disorder that affects real people..”-Myself

 

 

“I am excessively slothful, and wonderfully industrious--by fits. There are epochs when any kind of mental exercise is torture, and when nothing yields me pleasure but the solitary communion with the ‘mountains & the woods’--the ‘altars’ of Byron. I have thus rambled and dreamed away whole months, and awake, at last, to a sort of mania for composition. Then I scribble all day, and read all night, so long as the disease endures.”

Edgar Allen Poe

　

Anger rampage

Violent streak

Running in circles

I won’t let this condemn me

All at once

My emotions flow

I hate this feeling

I have no control

What a plight

Horrified to confess

Daily medication

Keep a constant low

Without it

My emotions would overflow

Uncontrollable mood swings

Is what I’ve been told

Anger

Controlling my home

Never just one

To keep me in line

Always another

It won’t be gone in time.

Running in circles

It fills me with dread

To much more of this

It will be my end

Classified a b***h

If they only knew

Their accusations

Could never be further from the truth

Biding my time

I want to get this in line.

Effecting relationships

It’s my burden to bare

If only there was a way

To save me from here.

Anger rampage

Violent streak

Running in circles

I won’t let this condemn me

Author's Note

Home > Diseases and Conditions > Bipolar disorderBipolar disorder
Manic depression; Bipolar affective disorder
Last reviewed: March 21, 2010.

Bipolar disorder involves periods of elevated or irritable mood (mania), alternating with periods of depression. The "mood swings" between mania and depression can be very abrupt.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Bipolar disorder affects men and women equally. It usually appears between ages 15 - 25. The exact cause is unknown, but it occurs more often in relatives of people with bipolar disorder.

Types of bipolar disorder:

•People with bipolar disorder type I have had at least one fully manic episode with periods of major depression. In the past, bipolar disorder type I was called manic depression.

•People with bipolar disorder type II have never experienced full-fledged mania. Instead they experience periods of hypomania (elevated levels of energy and impulsiveness that are not as extreme as the symptoms of mania). These hypomanic periods alternate with episodes of depression.

•A mild form of bipolar disorder called cyclothymia involves less severe mood swings with alternating periods of hypomania and mild depression. People with bipolar disorder type II or cyclothymia may be misdiagnosed as having depression alone.

In most people with bipolar disorder, there is no clear cause for the manic or depressive episodes. The following may trigger a manic episode in people who are vulnerable to the illness:

•Life changes such as childbirth

•Medications such as antidepressants or steroids

•Periods of sleeplessness

•Recreational drug use

Symptoms
The manic phase may last from days to months and can include the following symptoms:

•Agitation or irritation

•Inflated self-esteem (delusions of grandeur, false beliefs in special abilities)

•Little need for sleep

•Noticeably elevated mood

•Hyperactivity

•Increased energy

•Lack of self-control

•Racing thoughts


•Over-involvement in activities

•Poor temper control

•Reckless behavior

•Binge eating, drinking, and/or drug use

•Impaired judgment

•Sexual promiscuity

•Spending sprees


•Tendency to be easily distracted.

The depressed phase of both types of bipolar disorder includes the following symptoms:

•Daily low mood

•Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions

•Eating disturbances

•Loss of appetite and weight loss

•Overeating and weight gain


•Fatigue or listlessness

•Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness and/or guilt

•Loss of self-esteem

•Persistent sadness

•Persistent thoughts of death

•Sleep disturbances

•Excessive sleepiness

•Inability to sleep


•Suicidal thoughts

•Withdrawal from activities that were once enjoyed

•Withdrawal from friends

There is a high risk of suicide with bipolar disorder. While in either phase, patients may abuse alcohol or other substances, which can make the symptoms worse.

Sometimes there is an overlap between the two phases. Manic and depressive symptoms may occur together or quickly one after the other in what is called a mixed state.

Reviews

[HopelesslyDevoted]

ha! love the concept! we all are in life though aren't we? bipolar dancers? describes us perfectly!

[Kayla K]

I always love your poems that bring awareness.

[Fabric Pulse]

My dad has this.

[Alicia Hirshey]

I raise awareness for a lot of things, But this is something everyone classifies as a sham. I'm here to tell you that it isn't. I fight this disorder everyday. There is no escaping it. It consumes who you are as a whole.

[WynterPhoenix]

I love you!

[Lily Mae]

A great write bringing an awareness to a condition that tries hard to consume those who suffer... xx