Bipolar4LifeSupport

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Even though we all have Bipolar I thought to post this, I am getting confused as to what I have posted and not so please be patient…………… What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is an illness involving one or more episodes of serious mania and depression. The illness causes a person’s mood to swing from excessively “high” and/or irritable to sad and hopeless, with periods of a normal mood in between. More than 2 million Americans suffer from bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder typically begins in adolescence or early adulthood and continues throughout life. It is often not recognized as an illness and people who have it may suffer needlessly for years. Bipolar disorder can be extremely distressing and disruptive for those who have this disease, their spouses, family members, friends and employers. Although there is no known cure, bipolar disorder is treatable, and recovery is possible. Individuals with bipolar disorder have successful relationships and meaningful jobs. The combination of medications and psychotherapy helps the vast majority of people return to productive, fulfilling lives. “Bipolar disorder is treatable, and recovery is possible.”
What causes bipolar disorder?
Although a specific genetic link to bipolar disorder has not been found, studies show that 80 to 90 percent of those who suffer from bipolar disorder have relatives with some form of depression. It is also possible that people may inherit a tendency to develop the illness, which can then be triggered by environmental factors such as distressing life events. The presence of bipolar disorder indicates a biochemical imbalance which alters a person’s moods. This imbalance is thought to be caused by irregular hormone production or to a problem with certain chemicals in the brain, called neurotransmitters, that act as messengers to our nerve cells.
What are the symptoms of bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder is often difficult to recognize and diagnose. It causes a person to have a high level of energy, unrealistically expansive thoughts or ideas, and impulsive or reckless behavior. These symptoms may feel good to a person, which may lead to denial that there is a problem. Another reason bipolar disorder is difficult to diagnose is that its symptoms may appear to be part of another illness or attributed to other problems such as substance abuse, poor school performance, or trouble in the workplace.
Symptoms of mania
The symptoms of mania, which can last up to three months if untreated, include:
•Excessive energy, activity, restlessness, racing thoughts and rapid talking
•Denial that anything is wrong
•Extreme “high” or euphoric feelings — a person may feel “on top of the world” and nothing, including bad news or tragic events, can change this “happiness.”
•Easily irritated or distracted.
•Decreased need for sleep – an individual may last for days with little or no sleep without feeling tired.
•Unrealistic beliefs in one’s ability and powers — a person may experience feelings of exaggerated confidence or unwarranted optimism. This can lead to over ambitious work plans and the belief that nothing can stop him or her from accomplishing any task.
•Uncharacteristically poor judgment — a person may make poor decisions which may lead to unrealistic involvement in activities, meetings and deadlines, reckless driving, spending sprees and foolish business ventures.
•Sustained period of behavior that is different from usual — a person may dress and/or act differently than he or she usually does, become a collector of various items, become indifferent to personal grooming, become obsessed with writing, or experience delusions.
•Unusual sexual drive
•Abuse of drugs, particularly cocaine, alcohol or sleeping medications
•Provocative, intrusive, or aggressive behavior — a person may become enraged or paranoid if his or her grand ideas are stopped or excessive social plans are refused.
Symptoms of Depression
Some people experience periods of normal mood and behavior following a manic phase, however, the depressive phase will eventually appear. Symptoms of depression include:
•Persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood
•Sleeping too much or too little, middle-of-the-night or early morning waking
•Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased appetite and weight gain
•Loss of interest or pleasure in activities, including sex
•Irritability or restlessness
•Difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions.
•Fatigue or loss of energy
•Persistent physical symptoms that don’t respond to treatment (such as chronic pain or digestive disorders)
•Thoughts of death or suicide, including suicide attempts
•Feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless
Treatment
Treatment is critical for recovery. A combination of medication, professional help and support from family, friends and peers help individuals with bipolar disorder stabilize their emotions and behavior. Most people with bipolar disorder can be treated with medication. A common medication, Lithium, is effective in controlling mania in 60% of individuals with bipolar disorder. Olanzapine (Zyprexa), an antipsychotic, is a new treatment for bipolar disorder, Carbomazepine (Tegratol) and divalproex sodium (Depakote), which are mood-stabilizers and anticonvulsants, are some of the other medications used. In addition, benzodiazepines are sometimes prescribed for insomnia and thyroid medication can also be helpful. It is suggested that those with bipolar disorder receive guidance, education and support from a mental health professional to help deal with personal relationships, maintain a healthy self-image and ensure compliance with his or her treatment. Support and self-help groups are also an invaluable resource for learning coping skills, feeling acceptance and avoiding social isolation. Friends and family should join a support group to better understand the illness so that they can continue to offer encouragement and support to their loves ones.

http://www.bipolar4lifesupport.co

Most employees and students need some adjustments to help them perform at their best. A parent who works full-time needs a day off to get a sick child from school, or an adult student needs an extension on a term paper because his job requires him to make an unscheduled trip out of town. Both employee and student have the necessary skills to do what’s required if these adjustments are made.

For people with a disability, such changes are often critical to their success. Although some of the adjustments might be different from those that work for other people, they accomplish the same goal — allowing qualified employees or students to do the best job they can. These strategies are often just good business or educational practices. Reasonable accommodations are those adjustments within a work or school site that allow an otherwise qualified employee or student with a disability to perform the tasks required.

Employers and educators are not expected to provide opportunities to those who cannot do what is necessary. The laws do not require them to lower the standards of performance or change the qualifications needed to gain entry into a job or school program. What they are expected to do is be flexible about the way the work gets done.

Employers and educators are required to provide reasonable accommodations under 2 separate laws: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Recently, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued Enforcement Guidance on the ADA and Psychiatric Disability. In What laws protect someone with a psychiatric disability? you can find out more about these laws and definitions of the technical terms.

Reasonable Accommodations for People with Psychiatric Disability
It’s usually easy to tell what kind of accommodation someone with a physical disability needs. Someone who uses a wheelchair needs a higher desk. Someone with visual problems needs to receive all written material in large print. But since mental illness is often invisible, it can be hard to tell what will help a person with a psychiatric disability do his or her job better.

The first step in identifying the accommodations you need is to know the demands of your job or coursework. The second step is to figure out your “functional limitations” — that is, how your disability may make it hard for you to meet those demands. For example, your symptoms or the side effects of your medication may cause problems with memory, concentration, relating to others, managing or experiencing emotions, or organizing and managing your time. For more detailed definitions and examples of functional limitations, go to How does mental illness affect work? or How does mental illness affect school?

Effective accommodations include changes in schedules, instructions, job tasks or other procedures, and ways the instructor interacts with you. Not all of these accommodations will work for everyone; each situation should be taken on an individual basis. Many people with psychiatric disabilities may not need accommodations of any kind. Work Accommodations and Academic Adjustments are samples of the types of accommodations that are effective for people who experience mental illness, and include real-life examples.
Mental Illness and Psychiatric Disability
“Mental illness” describes a variety of psychiatric and emotional problems that vary i n intensity and duration, and may recur from time to time. Mental illnesses become disabling when they interfere significantly with a person’s ability to work, learn, think, care for oneself, or interact with others. Mental illness is not mental retardation or brain injury. Disclosing Your Disability to an Employer gives examples of common conditions, “plain English” examples of terms used to describe mental illness, and links to other resources for more information.
Benefits of reasonable accommodations
In our lifetimes, one in four of us will know someone who has experienced a mental illness – a family member, friend, neighbor, employee, manager, student, or teacher. Many talented people have made significant contributions despite having had a mental illness: President Abraham Lincoln, writer Ernest Hemingway, actress Patty Duke, Senator Thomas Eagleton, artist Vincent Van Gogh, scientist Isaac Newton, athlete Lionel Aldridge, and businessman Ted Turner, to name a few, have accomplished many things in spite of having a mental illness.

Reasonable accommodations may help you return to work or school from disability or medical leave sooner. Costs for treatment of mental illness may be reduced the sooner one returns to a productive role, and many people want to become productive again. For employers, the costs for providing accommodations are fairly inexpensive – most cost less than $500, and for people with psychiatric disabilities, the cost is usually less than $100. In fact, the Job Accommodation Network says that companies report an average return of $28.69 in benefits for every dollar invested in making an accommodation.

Often, these adjustments — flexible schedules, time off for medical appointments, or changes in communication, feedback and/or supervision — are not much different from the changes available to any employee or student. They can benefit everyone, not just the employee with a disability.
Sources : Job Accommodation Network; National Alliance for the Mentally Ill; President’s Committee on the Employment of People with Mental Illness; Zuckerman, Debenham & Moore, (1993) The ADA and People with Mental Illness: A Resource Manual for Employer