Vim & Vigor - Summer 2014 - Community Healthcare - 35

bradley cooper photos by Jeff Vespa/contributor; catherine zeta-Jones by getty/Wireimage; Jean-claude Van damme by getty images for extra; carrie fisher by getty; linda hamilton by filmmagic

A Fresh PersPective
Before researching the Silver Linings role, the star of
The Hangover trilogy admits to being relatively ignorant to the plight of those with bipolar disorder. "It's
not that I didn't know about mental illness. ... I just
didn't see it as a part of my own life; I didn't really
think that it affected me," Cooper said during a
speech at the National Conference on Mental Health
in June 2013.
But filming the movie changed his perspective.
"I realized that people that I knew, people that I loved
and cared about, they were coping with this in silence
and ... I really had no idea."
The truth is that most of us don't. And although
bipolar disorder is more common than we might realize, affecting more than 5.7 million adult Americans
in a given year, or 2.6 percent of the population 18 and
older, misconceptions abound. We have answers to
six common questions.

What is biPolar disorder
and What are the
symPtoms?

Bipolar disorder is a mental health disorder that
causes dramatic, sudden shifts in mood, energy, sleep
and activity levels.
Though researchers aren't sure exactly what causes
it, "genetics clearly play a role and environmental factors like significant life events also appear to trigger
episodes," says David Miklowitz, PhD, a psychologist
and the author of The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide:
What You and Your Family Need to Know. "Some neuroimaging studies have also found differences in the
brains of bipolar individuals."
In Silver Linings Playbook, the character's illness
manifests itself in obsessive behavior, delusions,
rapid speech, sleeplessness, manic and depressive
episodes, and temper flare-ups, "with mood swings
and weird thinking brought on by severe stress," the
Solatano character explains to his therapist.
Though these are all common symptoms of bipolar
disorder, Ryan Niemiec, PsyD, a psychologist and the
co-author of Movies and Mental Illness: Using Films to
Understand Psychopathology, points out that the movie
doesn't get every bit of it right. Solatano's frequent
episodes of rage and fighting "are likely features of
another condition and are not necessarily characteristic of bipolar."

Celebs

Speak Out

bipolar disorder can affect anyone,
including your favorite celebrities.
"there's evidence that people with
this illness have high levels of creativity," says david miklowitz, Phd, a psychologist and the author of The Bipolar
Disorder Survival Guide: What You and
Your Family Need to Know. "it seems to
go along with the artistic temperament." here, hollywood's finest share
their experiences.
Catherine Zeta-Jones,
on going public. "i hope
i can help remove any
stigma attached to it," she
told People magazine, "and that those
who didn't have it under control will
seek help."
Jean-Claude Van Damme,
on medication. "in one
week, i felt [the medication]
kick in," he told E! Online.
"all the commotion around me, all the
water around me ... became like a lake."
Carrie Fisher, on being
bipolar. "i thought if i could
ever get [bipolar disorder]
to be funny, it would be brilliant," she told BP Magazine. "but it took
a really long time ... dealing with the
bipolar situation was far from funny."
Linda Hamilton, on treatment. "every year is just
richer ... because i'm really
returning to who i was
meant to be," she said on Larry King Live.

sUM Mer 2014

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2014 - Community Healthcare

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