We can’t deny that we have several influencers to follow these days — but not many are brave enough to open up about their mental health struggles. At that time there was often the stigma that one was unfortunately only “crazy” with a mental disorder.
Thanks to celebrities like Selena Gomez, we’re a step closer to normalizing several mental and psychiatric illnesses. Now that we know that Selena Gomez suffers from bipolar disorder, it’s now easier for many to talk about this condition and how it affects millions of people in America and around the world.
Bipolar disorder in short:
Back then, almost only those who hallucinated or had imaginary friends (or enemies) were the ones who needed a psychiatric evaluation – and if those people were lucky! — The primary option for those suffering from mental illness at the time was to place them in an institution.
Fortunately, as even medicine advances, we now know about things like bipolar disorder; the condition was then called “manic depression” (but it was eventually changed because not everyone was exclusively manic or exclusively depressed). It is also said that bipolar disorder is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain.
Bipolar disorder, as you might have guessed, has two predominant traits – those suffering from the condition can either be overly confident one second and worryingly grumpy the next. But these signs are not always obvious as they are not always on the extreme side. However, it is still important to keep an eye on an individual dealing with this disorder.
Here are some of the signs and symptoms to look out for:
manic episodes
- Being overly talkative
- Megalomania (or they think they are “God-sent” or they believe they have a purpose beyond mere existence — or they believe they are the next “Messiah”)
- Hardly slept
- Hardly eat
- They have far too many (mostly eccentric) ideas
- Impulsive
- Irritable
depressive episodes
- feelings of worthlessness
- Suicidal
- Either they sleep too much or too little
- You can also eat either too much or too little
- Not motivated enough to function the way a “normal” person should and would
Selena Gomez Has Bipolar Disorder… But Who Else Has It?
Bipolar disorder is a complex condition that cannot be easily identified. You might think a person is an innovator, genius, or creative — when in fact they’re having an episode. Diagnosing a person (or a celebrity) should therefore only be left to a professional.
However, some stars have come to terms with their bipolar disorder in the past. We’ve already been made aware that Selena Gomez has bipolar disorder, but a few celebrities are living with the disorder too — like Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Halsey — and even the idols we’ve lost. Like Carrie Fisher, Kurt Cobain and Vincent van Gogh!
As you can see,
Some of the celebrities we are already familiar with have been dealing with bipolar disorder for some time. And it probably took them a while to get their diagnosis too (it usually takes a while for someone else to realize that a person with a mental health problem has a problem – the person suffering from it rarely realizes it themselves) .
So it’s important to keep an eye out for your loved ones and see if their erratic behavior stems from their innate personalities or if they have an undiagnosed mental illness. If you’re not sure, know there’s nothing wrong with getting yourself – or your loved ones – checked out by a professional.
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