What is bipolar/personality disorder

At least one in every 100 people will experience bipolar at some time during their lives. In Australia approximately 3.2% of males and 3.6% of females aged 16-24 years old have had bipolar in their lifetime, with 50% of all cases of bipolar developing in the age of early 20s.

Bipolar

Bipolar is used to describe a set of ‘mood swing’ conditions including symptoms where individuals being likely to experience mania, having longer highs and lows that can last anywhere between a few hours or a few days.

Symptoms

Mania

The term ‘mania’ is used to describe the most severe state of extreme elation and overactivity.

Symptoms include:

• Elevated mood – The person feels extremely high, elated, and full of energy.
• Increased energy and over – Activity and reduced need for sleep.
• Irritability – The person may get angry and irritable with people who disagree or dismiss their sometimes unrealistic plans or ideas.
• Rapid thinking and speech.
• Recklessness – This can be a result of the person’s reduced ability to foresee the consequences of their actions, such as spending large amounts of money buying items that are not really needed.
• Grandiose plans and beliefs – It is common for people experiencing mania to believe they are unusually talented or gifted i.e. film stars.
• Lack of insight – People experiencing mania may not recognise that their behaviour is inappropriate, although may understand that other people see their ideas and actions as inappropriate, reckless or irrational.

Depression

Depression is the main mood disturbance for most people with bipolar disorder.

Symptoms include:

• Loss of interest and pleasure in activities enjoyed before.
• Overwhelming sadness.
• Withdrawing from friends and avoiding social activities.
• Stopping self-care tasks like shopping and showering.
• Changes to appetite and sleep patterns.
• Lack of concentration, extreme tiredness, and feelings of guilt or worthlessness.
• Development of false beliefs (delusions) of persecutions or guilt for some people.

Personality Disorder

Every individual has a unique personality with patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviours that makes each person different from another.

There are different ways to classify personality disorders, according to DSM-5 there are three types of personality disorders.

1. Cluster A– “odd or eccentric” thought and behaviours

• Paranoid Personality Disorder – Suspicious or mistrustful of others and may be hostile or emotionally detached.
• Schizoid Personality Disorder – Lack of interest in social relationships and unemotional socially.
• Schizotypal Personality Disorder – Peculiar dress, eccentric behaviour and unusual bizarre thoughts and beliefs.

2. Cluster B – Unstable emotions and dramatic or impulsive behaviours

• Antisocial Personality Disorder (disregard for the law or right of others with a lack of remorse)

• Histrionic Personality Disorder (highly emotional and dramatic)
• Borderline Personality Disorder (fear of abandonment, intense and unstable relationships, extreme emotional outbursts or deliberate self destructive behaviour)
• Narcissistic Personality Disorder (pattern of inflated self esteem, need for admiration, lack of empathy or concern for others).

3. Cluster C – Anxiety and fearful thoughts and behaviours

• Avoidant Personality Disorder (avoid social interaction and are extremely sensitive to negative judgments by others, may be timid and socially isolated with feelings of inadequacy)
•  Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (Preoccupied with rules, orderliness and value work above other aspects of life)
• Dependent Personality Disorder (fear of being alone and need to be taken care of, difficulty separating loved ones from making independent decisions).

If you suffer from bipolar or personality disorder or know anyone who does, here are some services available on campus and in Sydney.

UNSW

Disability Support Services – https://student.unsw.edu.au/disability

Sydney

Support groups – http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/public/gettinghelp/othersupportgroups.cfm#NEW

Bipolar Caregivers – http://www.bipolarcaregivers.org/resources/organisations-and-websites-dealing-with-bipolar-disorder/australia

Information courtesy of Head Space, Blackdog Institute and Mindhealthconnect.