Bipolar Disorder

Talk with Mental Health Professionals About Bipolar Disorder in Illinois

It’s okay sometimes to feel emotional and let your feelings out. Although, if you feel you have little control over your emotions, having them swing from one extreme to another, you might have bipolar disorder. And bipolar disorder in Illinois and throughout the US isn’t a rare occurrence. To put it in perspective, around 2.8% of adults in the US experienced bipolar disorder in the past year. And for those with bipolar disorder, there are effective ways to manage it. Talk with Captive Set Free today to discuss some of your options.

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that can cause extreme mood swings. Such mood swings can include emotional highs and lows, often compounded by emotional symptoms between episodes. While it’s normal to experience mood changes, bipolar disorder’s mood swings are more intense, sometimes causing people to experience psychosis (paranoia, hallucinations, etc.).

Bipolar Disorder Symptoms

Depending on which way your bipolar disorder swings during a given episode, your symptoms can vary greatly. However, the most significant symptoms are the feeling of mania, hypomania, or depression, each an extreme level of emotion. Other symptoms include:

• Mania or Hypomania
  • Feeling distracted
  • Not being able to complete tasks
  • Talking rapidly and excessively
  • Feeling wired or uptight
  • Having and acting upon strange thoughts and impulses
  • Feelings of euphoria
  • Engaging in risky behavior
• Depression
  • Extreme loss or gain of appetite
  • Irritability
  • Anxiety
  • Insomnia
  • Feelings of hopelessness or despair
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Extreme sensitivity to noises or smells

Types of Bipolar Disorder, Causes, and Triggers

When it comes down to the root causes of bipolar disorder, it’s less about life experiences and more about genetics and chemical imbalances in your brain. So, if you come from a family with a history of bipolar disorder, you’re more likely to have it yourself. However, while bipolar disorder can affect you at any point in your life, triggers often begin an episode. Some common triggers include:

• Abuse, emotional, physical, sexual or otherwise
• The loss of a friend or loved one
• Relationship breakups
• Physical illness
• Daily stress (work, bills, accidents, etc.)
• Sleep disturbances

How We Can Help

While bipolar disorder can be a hindrance to daily function, it’s something that can be managed with coping skills and/or medication. And Sherri Bowald, a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, can help with just that. Along with professional care and possible medication, Sherri also teaches patients about the mental strength that can be achieved through a h4er connection with God. Presently, Sherri offers telehealth services for clients dealing with major depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder and more throughout Illinois.

If you’d like to learn more about Captive Set Free and how we can assist in your management of bipolar disorder, you can contact us today at 309-843-8430. Or, we are available via email at sherri@captivesetfree.life.