In a world of manic depressives,
everyone self medicates,
be it alcohol,
recreational drugs,
religion, shopping or sex.
Showing posts with label manic depression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label manic depression. Show all posts
20130501
20121225
Insomnia Model of Bipolar Disorder
This is a model based on a theory formulated by subjective analysis of bipolar disorder. Due to this subjectivity, it may be flawed and in need of correction. Please comment with corrections as you see fit.
Due to anxiety, specifically worry, insomnia leads to an extended period of lost sleep. That lost sleep leads to more of the same. At some point, hypomania arises and then escalates into mania. Finally a psychosis develops and the world that one enters is known as "depression" where one swings between the extremes of sleep and of insomnia.
During the hypomania phase, one gets productive until it seems the world cannot stand for efficiency and "getting things done" since society has engineered the concept of "disposable" and the efficiency of "lasts forever" is not "good business".
Once efficiency and "doing good" becomes "bad business", one enters the manic stage and consistently does good, but achieves no success because a do-gooder is "bad for business" in today's fast-paced world.
Frustrated by increasing lack of success, the manic person may "burn out" and enter "a world of his own" in the psychotic phase. The main feature of this psychosis is the ability to sleep long hours and to rapidly cycle between it and insomnia with short bouts of hypomania, where one is productive and interfaces well with other people. One then regains some success as his "business reputation" is restored through productive conferences with his circle of friends.
However, it is possible for mania to recur IF his feelings of self worth are forgotten as his income declines. Rising income actually leads to remission of mania.
Through regular use of mild anxiolytic medications, his anxiety will be lowered to the point that insomnia is rare, but what he has learned about hypomania implies that the increased productivity and social connections outweighs the fatigue. For hypomania is the "good life" while mania is the "bad life".
Through therapy and reflective meditation, it is possible to choose the good life over the bad. What helps one make this choice wisely, preferring the good over the bad, is love. One loves himself so much that mania is seen as unproductive and damaging to reputation precisely because the psychosis is viewed as an endless cycle of hyperactivity and sleep, complicated by insomnia.
In contrast, anxiety that leads only to insomnia and hypomania is a milder psychosis which is manageable. For this is the world of productivity and benefits of social graces. One is valuable to his employer and his love for himself prevents him from making a bad choice and descending into the hell of bipolar psychosis.
Even though bipolar disorder is not as simple as this, as each person has a different aspect of the disorder, it is possible to simplify it into opposing pairs of good and bad since the disorder lends well to such a simple model.
For the bad life makes a hell of the symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, hypomania, mania and psychosis. In contrast the good life help to make those symptoms "go away" i.e. become manageable.
Due to anxiety, specifically worry, insomnia leads to an extended period of lost sleep. That lost sleep leads to more of the same. At some point, hypomania arises and then escalates into mania. Finally a psychosis develops and the world that one enters is known as "depression" where one swings between the extremes of sleep and of insomnia.
During the hypomania phase, one gets productive until it seems the world cannot stand for efficiency and "getting things done" since society has engineered the concept of "disposable" and the efficiency of "lasts forever" is not "good business".
Once efficiency and "doing good" becomes "bad business", one enters the manic stage and consistently does good, but achieves no success because a do-gooder is "bad for business" in today's fast-paced world.
Frustrated by increasing lack of success, the manic person may "burn out" and enter "a world of his own" in the psychotic phase. The main feature of this psychosis is the ability to sleep long hours and to rapidly cycle between it and insomnia with short bouts of hypomania, where one is productive and interfaces well with other people. One then regains some success as his "business reputation" is restored through productive conferences with his circle of friends.
However, it is possible for mania to recur IF his feelings of self worth are forgotten as his income declines. Rising income actually leads to remission of mania.
Through regular use of mild anxiolytic medications, his anxiety will be lowered to the point that insomnia is rare, but what he has learned about hypomania implies that the increased productivity and social connections outweighs the fatigue. For hypomania is the "good life" while mania is the "bad life".
Through therapy and reflective meditation, it is possible to choose the good life over the bad. What helps one make this choice wisely, preferring the good over the bad, is love. One loves himself so much that mania is seen as unproductive and damaging to reputation precisely because the psychosis is viewed as an endless cycle of hyperactivity and sleep, complicated by insomnia.
In contrast, anxiety that leads only to insomnia and hypomania is a milder psychosis which is manageable. For this is the world of productivity and benefits of social graces. One is valuable to his employer and his love for himself prevents him from making a bad choice and descending into the hell of bipolar psychosis.
Even though bipolar disorder is not as simple as this, as each person has a different aspect of the disorder, it is possible to simplify it into opposing pairs of good and bad since the disorder lends well to such a simple model.
For the bad life makes a hell of the symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, hypomania, mania and psychosis. In contrast the good life help to make those symptoms "go away" i.e. become manageable.
20120409
Bipolar Disorder as Metaphor: It's not Just Venus vs Mars
Bipolar disorder is a metaphorical fight between Mars (sexuality, libido, nymphomania) and Venus (fertility, motherhood, feminine wisdom). Antidepressants put the disorder into remission by sedating Mars. Personally, I prefer seducing my inner Venus, but feminists would object.
Depression is represented by Saturn, the metaphor of limitation of control and power. Neptune represents inspirational and intuitive energy, and with respect to mental health, may signify hypomania.
The Sun may represent egocentricity, and ego-related disorders.
Moon represents the mind and emotions, but is also representative of the Oedipus complex.
Mercury represents the intellect and reason. This may be unaffected by the other planets. However, the egocentricity of the Sun has a strong influence on Mercury, with possible defects in intellect affecting rational thought.
Jupiter may indicate the religious affect of mental illness, which may be due to bipolar disorder.
Depression is represented by Saturn, the metaphor of limitation of control and power. Neptune represents inspirational and intuitive energy, and with respect to mental health, may signify hypomania.
The Sun may represent egocentricity, and ego-related disorders.
Moon represents the mind and emotions, but is also representative of the Oedipus complex.
Mercury represents the intellect and reason. This may be unaffected by the other planets. However, the egocentricity of the Sun has a strong influence on Mercury, with possible defects in intellect affecting rational thought.
Jupiter may indicate the religious affect of mental illness, which may be due to bipolar disorder.
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