Bipolar Theme Research

Bipolar, also known as Manic Depression, is a condition that affects a persons mood dramatically. Their mood can swig dramatically from one mood to another. People who suffer are most likely to swing between the two following emotions:
-Depression, feeling very low and lethargic.
- Mania, feeling very high and very overactive.

The depression side may have initially been diagnosed as Clinical Depression however this would have been before the patient would have had a Mania episode. During the stages of depression the patient may feel overwhelming emotions of worthlessness which can ultimately lead to suicidal tendencies.

The mania side leaves the patient feeling the complete opposite. The patient may feel very happy and have lots of energy, ambitious plans and ideas. The patient may also spend large amounts of money on items that the patient doesn't necessarily need. In addition to this, the patient may not feel like sleeping or eating and proceed to talk rather quickly. During one of these episodes the person can also become very agitated very easily. During a mania episode the patient may also experience symptoms of Psychosis - this is where the patient will see and hear things that are not there or become convinced of things that are not true.

The voices element of the Mania side can lead to an incorrect diagnosis of Schizophrenia.

There is a difference between Schizophrenia and Bipolar, the most significant difference being that Schizophrenia is primarily a psychotic disorder whereas Bipolar is primarily a mood disorder. which can involve PSYCHOSIS. Although the two have similar symptoms, it can be difficult to tell them apart. Here are some useful points which help indicate the differences between the two:

Bipolar disorder causes strong shifts in energy, attitude and many other aspects about a person. A person with bipolar can easily switch between being very happy and excitable to a very low, depressed character. These shifts are so severe that they can affect the persons ability to perform daily activities. A more severe case of  Bipolar can lead to the patient experiencing hallucinations and becoming delusional.

Schizophrenia causes symptoms similar to Bipolar HOWEVER, those who suffer from Schizophrenia DO NOT suffer from extreme mood shifts. They only suffer from hallucinations and delusions. Hallucinations include seeing and hearing things that are not really there. Delusions are beliefs are that are not true. In addition to this, sufferers may experience disorganized thinking in which case they are classified as unable to take care of themselves.


Schizophrenia sufferers can have the following symptoms. These symptoms are include:
Moodiness, a lack of feelings, inappropriate laughter, violent outbursts, hypersensitivity to sounds, touches, tastes and smells and an inability to express emotions.

After making these differences clear, I now have a foundation for my film. As stated in the synopsis, the protagonist of my short film suffers from Bipolar, it was pointed out to me that some audience members may confused the bipolar disorder with Schizophrenia. Hence why I have made this post stating the differences, in hope that this will help me create a story where the audience can clearly tell that the protagonist is suffering from bipolar not schizophrenia.

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