I See Manic People

Not unlike Haley Joel Osment in "Sixth Sense" I seem to have the same knack he had for seeing dead people, only I see manic people. Recently Shannon, someone dear to my heart, discussed her feelings of needing change and yet another time in her life when things just weren't right, weren't clicking, and the only way she would survive this would be to change everything (good and otherwise) about her life.

For Shannon to say these things is nothing new. Shannon seems to go through this cycle of events and in the 10 years I've known her, the cycle is very predictable. She starts off with a zest for life, decides to go after a dream (relationship, career, adventure), achieves said dream, then she starts heading south. Something comes along that is so unnerving that the bipolar disorder's manic M.O. throws everything off course. Shannon is no longer thrilled about all the wonderful things that have happened in the past year or so, but rather she wears a mask of deep sadness and confusion. The mania has set in. To boot, she always finds a way to thoroughly undo all the good she's done when she was on the high end of the manic cycle...the end where you feel you can do anything. The next step for Shannon is to move on to something else or immerse herself deeply in the Bible all the while she finds herself homeless and without the material things she not only needs but enjoys.

Many of us know more about depression because in recent years it has become less taboo and seen as it should be, as an illness no one chooses but was dealt the "gloom" card anyway. Bipolar disorder, though, is something very different though hard to diagnose, apparently. I believe bipolar disorder is rampant in our society today and many of us don't even realize it's an issue...or it's so similar to depression's symptoms that many are misdiagnosed. Depression medications don't typically help bipolar disorder, so the bipolar person has yet another 'thing' to deal with.

Not only is it rampant in our society, I think it's rampant in my family on my mother's side. The women I am close to all paint the same manic picture whether they raise kids all day or work in corporate America. I only recognize it more, lately, because I wonder if it's why I have such drastic highs and lows. The good days are so very good, but the bad days...watch out. It's a very scary disorder, especially if you don't recognize it when you're the one suffering from it. I know I see manic people, I feel their pain. And, afterall, if you see yourself in the mirror everyday, it's very easy to recognize similar traits in others.