When veterans discover they have a bipolar disorder it’s not the end of the world
There were a series of adverts in Australia through the 1970s that ended with the tag line: Cancer: It’s a word, not a sentence. The Government of the day wanted everyone to know that much progress had been made in the field of cancer—breast cancer in particular—and that just because a man or woman had been diagnosed with cancer they weren’t to give up hope.
The same was and is true with Bipolar Disorder—just because a psychiatrist has diagnosed you, it doesn’t mean that your life is going to be thrown into turmoil. The untrained friend and family member might tell you that you are likely to go on massive drug, alcohol and/or sex benders, or spend all you have and more, or make totally irrational decisions. They might even warn you that you are likely to get really angry and either hit them or punch a wall. That you might ‘speed up’ and talk and walk much faster than usual, or that your speech is faster, as is your thinking. That you will get frustrated with others because they can’t match the pace of your thoughts. Or you might plunge into depression and stay there for weeks, months, even years.
Whilst some of this might be true for some, you can easily manage yourself to win at life. Remember, bipolar is a word, not a sentence.
The DSM5—the American Psychiatric Association’s very large manual titled, ‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’—says this about Bipolar Disorders:
The bipolar I disorder criteria represent the modern understanding of the classic manic-depressive disorder or affective psychosis described in the nineteenth century, differing from that classic description only to the extent that neither psychosis nor the lifetime experience of a major depressive episode is a requirement. However, the vast majority of individuals whose symptoms meet the criteria for a fully syndromal manic episode also experience major depressive episodes during the course of their lives.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, American Psychiatric AssociationBipolar II disorder, requiring the lifetime experience of at least one episode of major depression and at least one hypomanie episode, is no longer thought to be a “milder” condition than bipolar I disorder, largely because of the amount of time individuals with this condition spend in depression and because the instability of mood experienced by individuals with bipolar II disorder is typically accompanied by serious impairment in work and social functioning.
The diagnosis of cyclothymic disorder is given to adults who experience at least 2 years (for children, a full year) of both hypomanie and depressive periods without ever fulfilling the criteria for an episode of mania, hypomania, or major depression.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, is the 2013 update to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the taxonomic and diagnostic tool published by the American Psychiatric Association. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) was published in 2022. It involved more than 200 experts, the majority of whom were involved in the development of the original DSM-5. It is the standard reference for psychiatrists, psychologists and highly-trained counsellors.
The objectives of counselling for veterans with a bipolar disorder
- To help you make sense of your current or past episodes of illness
- To discuss long-term planning, given your vulnerability to future episodes
- To help you accept and adapt to a long-term medication regimen
- To improve your functioning in the home or the workplace
- To deal with the social stigma of the disorder
- To improve family or marital/romantic relationships
If you’d like to talk to me about anything in the information provided on this micro site, please email me at lee@leehopkins.com or call me on +61 410 642 052.