Monthly Archives: May 2012

Bi-Polar Disorder: Why so common and how to alleviate?

If ever there was a truly American psychiatric condition, Bi-polar disorder (aka Manic-depressive disorder) is it. Everything about Society USA promotes such a condition from our youngest ages. As we unpack the several components of the mental and emotional baggage associated with Bi-polar disorder (BPD), you’ll quickly see how easy it is to manage … and then be free of altogether.

Let’s take a close look at the cultures in which BPD is most prevalent. Clearly, we find it showing up in societies which have a high incidence of addictions. Any kind of addictions – nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, recreational drugs, sugar, wheat, sex, gambling, sports, computer, TV, workaholism, etc. Why is there a direct correlation between the two? That’s a very good question you might want to reflect upon, if you feel you might have the manic-depressive tendency.

First, we see that addictions are an extreme response to life’s pressures, as is BPD. They are also frequently learned from previous generations, especially here in America. Every immigrant had(s) to deal with extraordinary challenges to make it in a foreign land. The first generation to join the melting pot often evolved coping behaviors which allowed them to survive. Especially when things got real tough, which they often did.

The lack of real community in a nation of workaholics or sportaholics and computerholics also makes for a dearth of social opportunities to communicate shared experience. When life is moving very fast, as it is today, this lack of a necessary social support system becomes all the more influential. What then happens is that the individual often resorts to going it alone, which is already highly encouraged by American society.   Continue reading