2. What is Bipolar? Bipolar is when you suffer from extreme exaggerated changes of your mood, you go from extreme highs to extreme lows very quickly. The changes are referred to as cycles or episodes.

4. What is the cause? Some causes can be: Genetics- This is usually 80% of the cause of this condition. If one parent had bipolar disorder there is a 10% chance that their children will develop the illness to. Brain Chemicals- Which is caused from having extra serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain that strongly affects your mood’s. Pregnancy- For women who have bipolar in their genetics the postnatal period can trigger the first episode of bipolar.

5. TRIGGERS Stress: A stressful life can trigger bi-polar disease. It usually can happen when it involves a drastic change such as: getting married, going away, losing a loved one, and getting fired. Substance Abuse: Substance abuse doesn’t cause bipolar but it can bring on an episode which can cause the disease to be worse. Medication: Certain medication can trigger mania. These are medication such as: Cold medicine, appetite suppressants, caffeine and thyroid medication. Season Changes: Episodes of mania and depression often follow a season pattern. Manic episodes are more common during the summer and depressive episodes are more common during winter and autumn Sleep Deprivation: Having a loss of sleep, even as little as skipping a few hours of rest- can trigger an episode of mania.

6. What type of disease is it? - Bipolar disorder is a mental illness which was historically known for depressive disorder, it is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes the extreme mood swings that results in episodes.

7. Who commonly suffers from Bipolar? -Bipolar is mainly triggered with people before the age of 20 and can even start in early childhood. If it is triggered with people older then 50 it usually is due to other medical conditions or the effect of drugs and alcohols.

8. What are the signs and symptoms? the symptoms of bi-polar could be things such as: Heightened energy, Creativity Talking really quickly Don’t sleep as much Always hyperactive. Racing thoughts: jumping quickly from one idea to next. Unable to concentrate Impaired judgement and impulsiveness Acting reckless. Delusions and hallucinations.

9. What is the treatment of this disease? There are three things to do while having Bi-polar. Seek help: It is best to seek help from a psychiatrist to make sure bipolar is the right diagnosis for you. Medication Treatment: Medication alone is usually not enough to control the symptoms for bi-polar. Instead the medication helps to control your bi-polar disorder and going on with a normal life. Long Term Treatment: To keep Bi-polar under control it is important to have a good balance of medication, therapy, lifestyle changes and social support to keep it at bay. Since there is chance of a relapse it’s important to continue treatment even when you’re feeling better.

10. Can it be cured? Bipolar can’t be cured by suddenly taking medicine and it will go away. Bi-polar is like asthma it can’t be cured but there are things you can do to make living with it easier. Things such as finding the right balance of medication and effective therapy can help bi-polar victims live a normal and productive life. The reason bi-polar cant be cured is because is not caused by bacteria or a virus that can be removed from the body.

11. What are the impacts it has on society? Bi-polar has an impact on society by the amount of money the government spend on situations involving bi-polar such as; - being absent at work -loss of employment -attempts at suicides and the success of suicides. Because the symptoms of bi-polar do effect the people around them, they cause a lot of family, friends, co-workers and fellow peers to distance themself from the bi-polar victims.

12. Have the instances of the disease increased over the years? -There are alot more documented cases of Bipolar from previous years and the disorder is becoming more and more common. Due to the increase in poor diets and stress in the present days Bipolar is increasing, but it is also being able to be treated and prevented alot better then it had been in previous years.

13. Is the disease more common in certain parts of the world then others ? In Australia there are around 238,957 people with bipolar. In the united states there are around 723,240 people. Germany has the second highest with 989,095. Leaving China and India having the highest in the world with 12-15 million people having bipolar disorder, some stage in their life. Alot is being done to help bipolar victims all over the world. There are clinics being set up, medications, self- help groups and various other things the government has organising to spread the word on this disease and how to prevent and make the lives of the patients with the disease bearable.

14. BIBLIOGRAPHY http://www.bipolar.com.au/understanding/index.cfm 17/5/2012 http://www.bipolar.com.au/understanding/index.cfm http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/docs/CausesofBip olarDisorder.pdf 17/5/2012 http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/docs/CausesofBip olarDisorder.pdf http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/ 777-792-807-1647,23532.asp 17/5/2012 http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/ 777-792-807-1647,23532.asp http://www.helpguide.org/mental/bipolar_disorder_sy mptoms_treatment.htm 28/5/2012 http://www.helpguide.org/mental/bipolar_disorder_sy mptoms_treatment.htm http://www.afterpsychotherapy.com/bipolar-disorder- symptoms/ http://www.afterpsychotherapy.com/bipolar-disorder- symptoms/ http://www.bipolar-lives.com/bipolar-disorder- statistics.html 29/5/2012 http://www.bipolar-lives.com/bipolar-disorder- statistics.html