The term bi-polar disorder seems to have entered everyday language. The term is used by many people commenting on someone else’s mercurial and changeable mood patterns and behaviour. This doesn’t mean people who behave in highly changeable ways – exhilarated and intensively creative one minute and depressed and despairing the next, would be labelled with the medical term Bipolar Disorder. Everyday stresses, burnout and overload lead to mood swings which are understandable and changes in one’s lifestyle can make enormously positively improvements.
Bipolar disorder used to be called Manic Depression by the medical profession. Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder characterised by episodes of mania and depression. It is different from mood swings – it makes people close to them bewildered and shocked by such extreme changes that they often feel they don’t understand the person at all. One key factor reported is that when the person is in the Manic Phase, they can demonstrate extreme creative genius or entrepreneurial abilities. This doesn’t mean people with these qualities are bipolar – but it does mean that people who are labelled as bipolar often appear to access creative abilities within themselves when they are in the mania stage. The challenge they face is that they can burn themselves out through this process and the resultant depressive stage can be enormously debilitating.
If you are concerned that you or someone you know might be acting in intensively creative ways where ‘there is no stopping them’ (and you fear for their physical and psychological health), it is wise to seek professional help to ascertain how to deal constructively with this.
Toxic relationships are those where there is animosity, anger, bitterness and resentments. They occur for many reasons but they are always damaging to the partners involved. These relationships continue for many reasons; the partners are addicted to a yo-yo pattern of bitterness and resentments accompanied by periods of romantic make-ups. Others exist because one or both partners have such low self esteem that they secretly morbidly fear being alone.
Guilt, blame and anger only escalate where problems are not resolved and healthy boundaries and rules re-established. If you recognise your relationship as being toxic, it is wise to find out why you are staying in a relationship that is so negative. Without proper resolution, the partners always go on to become more anxious, resentful and suffer physical as well as psychological ill-health.
Confidentiality in a counselling session is an important requirement for any client coming to see a psychologist or counsellor. Psychologists and counsellors are bound by professional ethics against which the client’s story, their identity and any other information is protected. A client understandably needs to know that their information and disclosures will be confidential, particularly when their secrets, if known outside of their family or close circle, would have a detrimental effect on themselves or others.
There are certain conditions under which confidentiality would be broken. It relates to information about terrorist activity, abuse of minors, criminal activity and planned injury to others. It also relates to injury to the client. If the psychologist believes that their client is, for example, is at serious risk of suicide, they have a duty of care (and I believe ethical requirement as a human being) to provide safety for that client.
A good psychologist will explain all this to you at the first session when you are agreeing the terms under which you will work – if they don’t, do ask, as it is important that you feel assured of the parameters within which the counselling sessions will work for you.
bipolar | Clare Mann | 
March 9, 2010 8:45 am | 
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