Frequently people with bipolar disorder are more successful and creative than normal people. This begs the question is bipolar disorder really a disorder at all?
Frequently people with bipolar disorder are more successful and creative than normal people. This begs the question is bipolar disorder really a disorder at all?
Depends on how you define "order" or "disorder".
I have Bi-polar 1, yes its a disorder to me, but to some other people maybe not.
Yes, having dated a bipolar girl who stopped taking her medications, I can definitely say it is.
'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
Or a yawing hole in a battered head
And the scuppers clogged with rotting red
And there they lay I damn me eyes
All lookouts clapped on Paradise
All souls bound just contrarywise, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
Anything that's not "in order" would be a "disorder", wouldn't it?
I think you're lumping the terms "disorder" and "debilitation/incapacity" together.
Look at this.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/12500...ntal-disorders
There are two with bipolar disorder on that list.
like anything else that affects the mind this varies from person to person. some have very mild symptoms, mild enough that it affects them little more than normal mood swings. some swing so wildy that they can barely function, and can be a risk to themselves or those around them. and there is everything in between. some are down more than up, and vise versa. for some it can even be a net gain. id say it is most definitely a disorder. whether it is debilitating or not is very dependent on the individual suffering from it
If you are a bipolar transistor it is OK. But if you are FET it is definitely a disorder.
There's people with all kinds of disorderds and diseases that still do well in life, doesn't mean it's not a burden to them. If the effects of a condition or disorder affect your quality of living by making you miserable, even part of the time, I'd say that's a disorder. You would still consider chronic bouts of occasional diarrhea a problem even if you were really creative when you had them. Same here even if you don't feel the problems with bi-polar sound that bad.
I'd say if it's outside the "norm" it's a disorder. Now, of course, one also has to consider if it is crippling to the person afflicted with it.
My mother is bipolar, and it does affect her greatly if she isn't on her medication (her own words). Does it affect some people more than others? Sure, but that doesn't make it any less of a disorder to those who aren't as affected by it. Guaranteed, it has some impact (probably negative) on their lives in some way.
according to dsm-iv / icd-10 (F31) it is
I'd hardly call this conclusive rofl, no way can you diagnose someone with a possible mental illness from scattered accounts and sources.
The only currently actually successful person with bipolar I can think of is Stephen Fry; and I wouldn't call him particularly "creative", he's just clever and likeable.
Bipolar can make people commit suicide, I don't see how you can even question whether it's a "disorder" or not.
Something like 3% of the U.S population apparently has bipolar of some form, as a proportion of "successful" or "creative" people I would say its fairly proportional.Frequently people
Last edited by mmoc44ab44658a; 2013-02-07 at 05:52 PM.
It is a big disorder if you're truly afflicted with it! My parent's friend committed suicide over her bipolar issues, leaving behind her husband and son. It was a very hard time of her life with the wild aggression issues and instant changes in perception and mood.
FDR was wheelchair bound and was the POTUS. That would be akin to suggesting because he found success that he didn't have physical limitations.
People with mental illness often struggle with maintaining success - poverty, violence, abuse, neglect (basically any negative statistic) rates among the mentally ill are disproportionately higher than the rest of the population.
There are those who can overcome their illness (not everyone who has a form of Bipolar Disorder suffers the same severity) and find success, but to suggest that since some succeed that it is similar to normal function is a bit naive.
Yeah I think it's a bit suspect that you seem to think that mental illness and intelligence can't go hand in hand, to say that if they're really smart with a mental disorder, it's not actually a disorder. Hell patients with Asperger's Syndrome, which is on the autism spectrum, are typically higher than average intelligence... but if you're suggesting that they will function the same as an average person, you're flat out wrong.
Being bipolar means you shift through manic and depressive states, which are more extreme than neurotypical people. That's really it.