HAPPINESS MADE SIMPLE?

This blog post postulates the question of happiness e.g. its form, function and the possible underlying mechanisms. 

Some people can be uncomfortable repeatedly (every year to every month); they can feel empty, have an urge, an itch or the need for something, anything ... just to feel FULL? 

This could include needing food and objects, to even jumping from relationship to relationship, or the constant need for attention from anyone ... just to feel that tad bit happier.

If you're not happy in your own skin, afraid of being alone and doing your own thing then sinking into depression may be common...

If you're not getting a source of constant love and admiration from another in order to feel happy ... well, perhaps.. just perhaps ... you are not balanced? 

Science can only tell you so much... you can have all the knowledge of a person or humans and their behaviours ... but you can never truly understand it.... many just JUDGE it.  

Can the quality of a lived experience be measured and quantified so another can really UNDERSTAND and not just know it? 

OK, so let's look at the SCIENTIFIC perspective..... 

Try to be a bit more CRITICAL to all the scientific evidence? 

Is there  a more holistic view towards  happiness? 

Facts from different cultures are insightful; however, how about the  PHILOSOPHY of it all????? 

SO happiness can be embodied in 1+ perceptions, ways and possible models!!!  Best to perhaps tackle them all??? 

PUT SIMPLY: It is not about doing it in a SET MANNER e.g. the pursuit of happiness.

But it may be more: being mentally aware, e.g. to think about oneself, love oneself and self validate actively.

Perhaps it's this rather than being on autopilot doing things that we may feel bring us happiness.... which can become a maladaptive cycle that can lead to the repeated feeling or mistakes that something is missing. 

Is it a solidified unknown? Perhaps it's less unknown if one allows themselves to be just as they are? 

BIPOLAR DISORDER MADE SIMPLE

Many individuals have a basic understanding  of BIPOLAR [B.P] DISORDER. Those who are diagnosed with B.P in stark contrast would express this experience perhaps very differently to norm expectations. 

This blog post hopes to highlight what a B.P experience can be like and how it affects everyday life. It also looks at the debated psychological challenges in the ways science views B.P. 

DYSPHORIA: this is commonly reported after B.P. MANIA EPISODES which lead to a mixture of unpleasant feelings e.g. guilt, depression, anxiety and a general mixture of highs followed by lows. 

From an EXTREME low to high, this reflects the meaning of BIPOLAR e.g. from one end to another. 

It is rare to be somewhere in between when a B.P. individual is in a full blown episode.   

It's common for >15% to die either from suicide or from risk behaviours driven by B.P. characteristics. This merely represents the most extreme cases. 

However, B.P. is not that simply devised in to numbers & 1+ psychological symptom labels.

There are so many restrictive labels for such a diverse and unique B.P. experience. Each person diagnosed with B.P. (type 1 to 2) is never exactly the same as another. 

Actually all B.P. diagnoses are all somewhat different in their own way, but they do overlap in some symptoms. 

TYPE 1: Classic form of B.P. experience  more HIGHS (MANIA) than LOWS. 

A rare few just experience the HIGHS or very little lows along their own individual spectrum. 

TYPE 2: A form a B.P. that experiences a great deal of LOWS>>>>HIGHS. This is marked by HYPOMANIA (lower HIGHS) with a higher possibility of severe lows. 

B.P.'s can shift from type 1 to type 2 through their life span. Because B.P. is not fixed, it can be very changeable depending on so many possible risk factors that science is yet to elude a current phenomenon of causation. 

BUT! In a day to day life of a B.P. traits are seen as a normal expression, so perhaps there are many B.P.'s out there in the world that cope well in life. Perhaps the ones that fall through the cracks just represent the extreme? 

BE CRITICAL, because money talks a lot in life, unless you have the knowledge to challenge otherwise. 

Besides the politics, what about the SCIENCE behind the most prescribed B.P. medications? e.g. LITHIUM - seen as a very common mood stabiliser to be given. 

A TRAP? ........

DRUGS all have limitations because they are not supposed to be taken in the long term. No, in fact, our bodies in general are not wired for a quick fix because it will never be without some biological cost. 

Bear in mind that some B.P.'s when hospitalised need urgent drug intervention as therapy will not be suffice e.g. you need to be mentally able to process logic before therapy can work. 

So perhaps I have changed your perception about B.P. experiences in their most extreme form?

If you think you can add to this blog post to really understanding what B.P. experiences are really like, then please leave a comment.