What is bipolar disorder? - Helen M. Farrell

Explore the medical condition known as bipolar disorder, and learn about its symptoms, causes, and treatments.

--

The word bipolar means ‘two extremes.’ For the many millions experiencing bipolar disorder around the world, life is split between two different realities: elation and depression. So what causes this disorder? And can it be treated? Helen M. Farrell describes the root causes and treatments for bipolar disorder.

Lesson by Helen M Farrell, animation by Uncle Ginger.

[NathyIsabella]

I've never seen so abstract images make so much sense

[pcjtzmh]

I wish psychology was a subject in schools just like math science etc.., it’s very important for people to know more about mental health issues

[mario_vdls]

My aunt is 43, shes bipolar, she made some radical decision that left her on the streets with nothing to her name, my whole family went silent, not a peep from anyone, my mom, sister, and I took it upon ourselves to give her a second shot at life, as of now we found her a place to stay and good medication, its really important for them to know that they have someone, even if they’re not your blood, be there.

[lizzz.chrisss]

I am a 16 year old girl with bipolar disorder. I’ve been dealing with this since I was 10, but wasn’t properly medicated until a year ago. Everyday I wake up praying that nothing triggers a depressive or manic episode. This video has definitely made me feel better about who I am and why I shouldn’t give up on myself. My parents are still trying to process that I have this disorder and really does try to help me out but sometimes ends up saying the wrong things which cause me to go into a depressive episode. Although it is hard, I hope to find a person that I can completely let down my guard with and tell them about my disorder. Every time I try to open up to one of my friends, I immediately get judged and they look at me as if I’m a psycho. It really hurts me deeply. I have been hospitalized for months at a time because of how bad my depressive/manic episodes were. I’ve missed just about a whole semester a school but thankfully caught up with the help of my wonderful and caring teachers. I now find myself graduating a year early and heading off to college to become a news reporter. Yes, it takes dedication to cope and find ways to deal with these difficult emotions, but in the long run, everything will be okay.

[Mark-nhod]

Moral of the story: The word "bipolar" is not just used as a *social media bio.*

[DeyvsonMoutinhoCaliman]

I had a bipolar gf. During a maniac episode she lost all her friends, her job, her college, broke up with me, indebted herself, had psychosis, went to a clinic... Completely destroyed her life and she never recovered. People have no idea how serious is this disease, it can completely incapacitate a person.

[nereadcrls]

"bipolar disorder is a medical condition, not a person's fault". that's so true. cause i have bipolar disorder and when i have manics episode i always think that every crazy thing i do is my fault and that im hurting my family and friends. so when i go from a manic episode to a depression episode i think a lot about what i did in the manic episode and its horrible because the guilt becomes sbigger.

[patriaciasmith]

Psilocybin containing mushrooms saved my life. The drastically reduced my benzodiazepine withdrawal allowing me to quite illicit pill addiction after three years of heavy daily use before it would had became medically dangerous to quit. It has also helped me survive depression.

[Jessica-ecic]

My sister is bipolar. I once visited her apartment during one of her manic episodes. I walked in the door and there were hundreds of shopping bags full of stuff. She had gone out and maxed out all of her credit cards and then came home and didn't even look at any of the stuff she bought. She hadn't slept in days and was talking a mile a minute. That was when I finally realized how serious bipolar disorder is.

[raysollarsthehappyjogger]

I was diagnosed Bipolar 2 back in the year 2000, I am now 65. Medication and some talk therapy have helped me to do well. I have acquired many tools over the years to maintain good mental health. Thank you for this simple and informative video.

[caroldickens]

My youngest daughter was diagnosed when she was 23 after giving birth to her 1st child. She struggled along for 18mths, thinking to herself she was a bad mum, her little girl would be taken away, she was crying one minute then over excited the nxt.. She sought help from her GP who referred her for more in depth diagnosis. She's on meds to help balance her emotions out, but she still feels like she is fighting her own demons that only she knows about. But at least she got the help & we as a family support her all the way with so much to ease her anxiety..

[snivy]

The music combined with the visuals is actually terrifying.

[yeon]

gives middle finger to those who keep saying that they have bipolar without knowing the real meaning of it.

[gazzoul]

I've finally been able to admit that I'm bipolar, after destroying several marriages, I wasn't socially acceptable at all.
Now that I've admitted it to myself, everything changes.

So that people know how it is in the head of a bipolar person, as if a personality that does not live up to your actual character is crawling out of you and you are constantly trying to fight it.
Unfortunately, you lose the fight very often.

[AlboonS-zysu]

Hats off to everyone who simply clicked to learn something new so that you could be a well informed productive citizen!

[kayelle]

Cried my eyes out the first time my psychiatrist told me I had Bipolar Depression. It used to make me feel broken and unfixable. I love at the end of this video the narrator says" Remember Bipolar Disorder is a medical condition, not a person's fault."
I view my diagnosis the same way I view the eyeglasses I wear on my face everyday, my medication and therapy help me to see my life clearly.

[ShePudding]

I love how animation ties so perfectly into what he's saying, abstract as it is. It really helps to make this complex topic more approachable, especially for a visual learner like myself. Heheh, pretty too.

[senulitiyansa]

My mom has this disorder and I feel like I can finally understand her feelings and thoughts, I struggled to understand her for a long time but now it's all over.
I truly thank TEDED for their amazing work.Thank you very much ❤

[crackspax]

I was diagnosed with ADHD, bipolar mania, and depression when I was 17. I'm 22 now, and never really understood it until I saw this video a couple years ago. I rewatch it sometimes and it helps being able to understand

[minhanhnguyen]

If I tell my friends about this, they would be like "yeah I definitely have that" :/