1. Bipolar disorder is the only identifiable disorder. FALSE
Fact: Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder in which a person experiences episodes of mania (elevated mood) or depression (sadness), or a combination of the two (an episode in which symptoms of mania and depression occur simultaneously). It is a set of diagnoses that describe disorders. Between seizures, the person may not show symptoms.
2. Bipolar disorder is a rare disorder.FALSE
Fact: Mood disorders are among the most threatening problems to public health worldwide. The lifetime prevalence of bipolar disorder has been reported to be 0.5-1.6%. The lifetime prevalence of bipolar spectrum disorders is between 3-6%. In Turkey, there are approximately more than 2 million people diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.
3. Bipolar disorder is a product of a person's imagination. It can be dealt with by thinking positively.FALSE
Fact: Bipolar disorder is a treatable mental disorder, it is real and causes a lot of pain if not managed well. People cannot get rid of it by just thinking positively and making life arrangements. . Recovery requires compliance with treatment. Of course, as with other diseases, avoiding stress, quality sleep and healthy nutrition will also positively affect the course of the disease.
4. People with bipolar disorder are always unstable.FALSE
Fact: Bipolar disorder is characterized by episodes of high mood (mania) and low mood (depression) throughout the day. Often these attacks are separated from each other by months or even years. Patients are completely normal during this interval and do not have any complaints.
5. Bipolar disorder results from personal weakness or character flaw. FALSE
Fact: Bipolar disorder is a medical condition, just like diabetes, asthma, or any other health condition. It is unrelated to personality or character. It is a neurobiological disease in which the chemistry in the brain is disrupted. People with bipolar disorder, just like any other health condition, do not get better without treatment. drug treatment rt.
6. People with Bipolar Disorder are very happy during manic attack periods. FALSE
Fact: In manic periods, in addition to the elevated (happy or ecstatic) mood, moods that tend to be irritable, angry, and belligerent can also be observed. Frequently engaging in activities that are pleasurable but risky and have the possibility of bad consequences brings unhappiness and regret after the attack rather than happiness. People who experience manic attacks even feel afraid because they lose control of their thoughts and behavior.
7. You can diagnose bipolar disorder with a laboratory test. FALSE
Fact: There is no known blood, urine or saliva test for bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder cannot be diagnosed by checking lithium levels in blood or serum. Diagnosis cannot be made with saliva tests sold on the internet. These tests only look for the presence of 2 genetic mutations and can only represent a very small group of all patients. Many candidate genes are suspected for bipolar disorder, but they do not have a complete list and cannot account for all patients.
8. Lithium salt is deficient in bipolar disorder. FALSE
Fact: Mood stabilizers are used to prevent attacks in bipolar disorder. One of these drugs is Lithium. But Lithium is a regulator. There is no deficiency of lithium in the body; in fact, it is not found in the blood of a normal person. The purpose of checking drug blood levels while under lithium treatment is to check whether a disease-protective blood concentration is achieved.
9 Bipolar disorder cannot be diagnosed easily like physical disorders. FALSE
Fact: Although there is no technology that can diagnose bipolar disorder with a single test, the diagnosis of bipolar disorder is based on psychiatric standard criteria. Full diagnosis of bipolar disorder; It is done using medical and psychiatric history, self-reported symptoms, observable behaviors, information obtained from family and friends, family psychiatric history, and specific psychiatric rating tools.
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10. Bipolar disorder cannot be treated. FALSE
Fact: Bipolar disorder can be effectively treated. 15% of bipolar patients recover completely and never get sick again. 45% of patients experience attacks at various times throughout life, and there is complete well-being between attacks. The recovery process depends on many factors, including individually tailored treatment, adherence to that treatment plan, psychoeducation about the disease, good communication with the professionals involved in the care, and a good support system (family and friends).
11. People with bipolar disorder should not use antidepressants. FALSE
Fact: Antidepressant use can trigger a manic attack in people with bipolar disorder. However, this does not mean that they cannot use antidepressants when they have depression or mixed attacks. When antidepressants are combined with mood stabilizers and other accompanying medications, they effectively treat the person without slipping into mania.
12. People with bipolar disorder cannot work. FALSE
Fact: With proper medical care and good support, more than 75% of people with bipolar disorder can work and thrive.
13. Once bipolar disorder is under control, medications can be stopped. FALSE
Fact: Bipolar disorder is a disorder in which it is necessary to continue taking medication even when the complaints disappear. Medicines work preventatively. We can compare this to blood pressure or diabetes. Medications are used regularly to prevent blood sugar from rising or blood pressure from rising. During medication use, medications are not stopped just because blood pressure returns to normal. You should always consult your doctor before stopping any medication.
14. People with bipolar disorder are geniuses or artists. FALSE
Fact: Bipolar disorder can occur at any intelligence level and hospitalization may occur. Although the disease symptom called flight of ideas, that is, the coming of many ideas to mind, may seem like creativity, these ideas are not functional due to lack of attention and concentration. They cannot be processed in this way and no results can be obtained. The transformation of illness experiences into works depends on the creativity that already exists within the person.
15. Children do not develop bipolar disorder. FALSE
Fact: Although the age at which Bipolar disorder is most commonly diagnosed is around the age of 25, Bipolar disorder can also be seen in children. Children whose parents have bipolar disorder are more likely to be affected. Unlike adults, children tend to experience attacks in the form of depressed and elated moods that change rapidly or occur together many times during the day. Again, unlike adults, enthusiastic mood in children is mostly experienced as irritability and anger. School problems are common. Bipolar disorder is more difficult to diagnose than in adults.
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