Bipolar quiz

So you think you know all about bipolar disorder? Try this quick bipolar quiz!

Answers appear at the bottom of the page.

1. Can bipolar disorder be cured?

2. What treatments are effective for bipolar disorder?

3. Are bipolar people dangerous?

4. Are SSRIs good antidepressant drugs for people with bipolar depression?

5. Who are some famous bipolar people?

6. Can people with bipolar disorder qualify for social security disability?

7. Is bipolar disorder a hereditary disease?

8. Is bipolar disorder mainly characterized by frequent, extreme mood swings from serious depression through to manic elation?

9. What is the relationship between bipolar disorder and manic-depressive illness?

10. How is bipolar disorder diagnosed?

11. What other illnesses commmonly occur along with bipolar disorder?

12. What is "kindling"?

Bipolar quiz answers

2. Medication and talk therapy in combination are effective bipolar treatments. for bipolar disorder. Some people manage their condition with medication alone. Some people who have Bipolar Type II or "soft" bipolar may try to manage with therapy alone, but medication is advisable.

3. This is a very common misconception. What the research tells us is that people with mental illness do NOT commit more violent acts than the general population. In fact, a person with a mental illness such as bipolar is twice as likely to be the VICTIM of violence. However, bipolar disorder can be a very destructive illness and untreated bipolar people may be very irritable or abusive, and may be prone to reckless acts such as infidelity, gambling, or spending sprees that cause a lot of damage to their families and loved ones.

4. Although there is some evidence that antidepressants are effective in the short-term treatment of bipolar depression, a large recent trial reported no benefit. Further, major studies such as SPEP-BP found SSRIs can induce manic episodes. Instead of SSRIs, the evidence is that Lamictal or Seroquel are to be preferred. Also, a recent survey of randomized evidence found no justification for using SSRIs as a long-term, ongoing treatment in addition to a mood stabilizer for maintenance treatment in people sufering from bipolar depression.

5. Famous bipolar people include Patty Duke, Kurt Cobain, Sir Winston Churchill, Carrie Fisher, Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, Jane Pauley, Linda Hamilton, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sinéad O'Connor, and Brian Wilson.

6. Bipolar people can receive social security disability, but it can be a difficult process. See our page on Claiming Bipolar Disability.

7. Genetics does play a role. The chances of any member of the general population developing bipolar disorder is 2%. With one bipolar parent, the likelihood rises to 10%, and with two bipolar parents, the likelihood rises to 40%. However, in identical twin studies, 57% of the bipolar individuals had a bipolar twin. If genetics were the sole determinant, this would be 100%.

8. My guess is that this is one bipolar quiz question that many will be confused about. It is a misconception that all bipolar people have frequent and dramatic mood swings. A small proportion of bipolar people are "rapid cyclers", but overall bipolar people tend to get stuck in a mood (usually depression rather than mania) for longer than non-bipolar people. Also, bipolar is actually several different mood disorders and the moods may take many forms. Mania is not always extreme and is not always expressed as elation. Sometimes it can appear as irritation, for example.

9. Bipolar disorder is also known as manic-depressive illness. Some people prefer "bipolar" as they feel it captures the notion of mixed episodes, others prefer "manic-depressive" because it captures the notion of mood swings, the need to have both types of episodes, and is less likely to be used synonymously for "bad behavior".

10. Bipolar disorder cannot be detected through a blood test or x-ray. Instead, questionnaires are used to check an individual's behavior for symptoms defined in the psychiatrists' professional manual, the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

11. Common co-morbid conditions include anxiety disorders, substance abuse, migraine, thyroid illness, obesity, type II diabetes, and and cardiovascular disease.

12. "Kindling" is the worsening over time of untreated bipolar disorder. Research suggests that if left untreated, bipolar disorder gets progressively worse, with rapid cycling and more serious episodes developing, compounded by the disorder becoming more resistant to treatment. The theory is that more and more brain cells become hghly sensitized and prone to "ignite", in the same way many small pieces of wood can ignite serious fires.

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