A Little Off Topic

The other day my mom and I were having a discussion about Bipolar Disorder and about how it has become the new "catch all" for what is wrong with you psychologically. (Like ADD or ADHD is the "catch all" for many children.)

Wikipedia defines Bipolar as a condition in which people experience abnormally elevated (manic or hypomanic) and abnormally depressed states for a period of time in a way that interferes with functioning. Bipolar disorder has been estimated to afflict more than 5 million Americans—about 1 out of every 45 adults. It is equally prevalent in men and women, and is found across all cultures and ethnic groups. Not everyone's symptoms are the same, and there is no blood test to confirm the disorder. Researchers postulate that bipolar disorder may be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. Bipolar disorder can appear to be unipolar depression. Diagnosing bipolar disorder is often difficult, even for mental health professionals. What distinguishes bipolar disorder from unipolar depression is that the affected person experiences states of mania and depression. Often bipolar is inconsistent among patients because some people feel depressed more often than not and experience little mania whereas others experience predominantly manic symptoms.

(Information taken from Wikipedia's site, click on the link for more information.)

Haven't we all felt this way at times? I know that we all have "good times" (mania) and "bad times" (depression) and that they cycle like crazy and vary in their degrees. They are triggered by so many things in our lives, many of which are things that are out of our control.

Now, I'm not knocking Bipolar Disorder as one of my loved ones has this and is being treated for it, so I deal with this on a daily basis. But, I ask you this.......aren't we all Bipolar in some way????