by Julie Mauldin

Created on: November 15, 2008

Bipolar disorder, once thought of as a form of Manic Depression, is a very common mental illness that may lay dormant for years in your body, until it is triggered. The catalyst is often a very traumatic event, either physical or mental, that causes the hormones in your body to be unstable.

A good example of this is childbirth. All through a woman's pregnancy, the hormones in her body are building up to labor. During and immediately after childbirth, as the child emerges, the hormones that brought her up and kept her feeling happy and "up" come down, and the shock of that hormonal change can often lead to postpartum depression.

When you think about the inside of your body, and what makes it work, think of your hormones as the things that help control or stabilize your moods. Bipolar disorder is one of a species of mood disorders in which the hormones in the body cause the moods of the affected person to "cycle" from mania, a kind of crazy high that includes both impulsive behavior and wild easily triggered anger, and depression, which is often nothing more than the person no longer being able to continue on the manic cycle due to flagging energy or flagging hormones.

There are several risk factors associated with Bipolar Disorder. Look for the presence of other hormone-related chronic health conditions, such as Hypo-thyroidism, hyper-thyroidism, or diabetes. Both Hypo- and hyper-thyroidism are based in the endorrine system of the body, in which the Thyroid gland either produces too much of the hormone thyroxin, sending it coursing through the bloodstream at an alarming rate, or hypo-thyroidism, in which the thyroid gland cannot on its own produce enough thyroxin for the body to function.

Bipolar disorder, on its own, is nothing more than a hormone-based mood disorder which can be treated with medication, like the other illnesses which trigger it, often at the onset of puberty. What makes people wonder if Bipolar disorder is real or an excuse is the behavior associated with this mental illness.

Medications such as Depakote, Lithium, and Lamisil are widely available through prescription by doctors, and depending on the level or severity of the hormonal imbalance in your system, the doctor will know which medication will most likely help curb your symtoms. That's right. I said Curb, not cure.

Mood stabilizing medications work only as much as the person taking the meds are willing their moods to be stabilized. It is ultimately up to the person suffering from this mood disorder to be cognizant of his or her symptoms and feelings throughout the day, and adjust his or her coping mechanisms to deal with stresses in a healthy way, to function in society and have a normal life.

Bipolar disorder is not the stigma it once was, but you, as the bipolar, have a responsibility to yourself and to others to stabilize your medication. There are few things more terrifying than being in a room with someone locked in a manic rage attack. So, please, as a public service message, take your meds.

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