Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder associated with intense changes in mood, behavior, and thinking, often abruptly and lasting from weeks to months. These swings change between a manic mood and a depressive. Shifts can be so intense they can interfere with day to day life, relationships, and productivity. Periods of swings that last as short as hours or even days are called “rapid cycling.” How severe the episodes are vary on a case to case basis. There are four categories of bipolarism distinguished by cause, symptoms, and duration. Depressive swings of bipolar are characterized by listlessness, loss of interest in daily activities, irritability, general hopelessness, lack of appetite, loss of motivation, and even suicidal thoughts. They share a lot with general depression disorder, thus the name ‘ depressive ’ swing. Manic moods are characterized by high energy, a sense of giddiness, increase in libido, insomnia, reckless behavior, and even a disconnect from reality. S...
Schizophrenia is a disorder of the brain’s ability to connect reality with thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is a highly stigmatized disorder in society, rife with misunderstandings, such as the idea that those with schizophrenia are often perpetrators of violence when in actuality they are far more often the victims of violence and abuse. Though the diagnosis was found over a hundred years ago, the exact cause of schizophrenia is unknown, though it is believed by scientists to be a mixture of genetics, environment, brain structure, exposure to certain viruses at an early age, recreational drug use, and certain factors during pregnancy. Genetics is said to play a particularly strong role in it, as those who are related to those with schizophrenia have a higher chance of having schizophrenia or displaying schizophrenia-like symptoms, as schizophrenia is a syndrome that can span a wide spectrum of disorders. As with most diseases, especially those of the mind, it is important t...