Modern Express News (reporter Qiu Huayue) due to an accidental injury, Jin Xiaoyu in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, had an eye disability at an early age, and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Also due to an accident, he embarked on the road of translation, known as the "genius of translation", teaching himself to translate many foreign works. On one side are "geniuses" and on the other side are patients. Recently, an article titled "Hangzhou Man Calls from a Funeral Home: Can You Write About Our Genius Son" was screened online, and Jin Xiaoyu's life experience was moving, and also made the public pay attention to the bipolar group. On January 19, the Modern Express reporter interviewed experts from Nanjing Brain Hospital and entered the world of bipolar patients.
△ Jin Xiaoyu and father Jin Shengyong. WeChat public number @ Hangzhou Daily screenshot
The prevalence of bipolar disorder is far more prevalent than one might think
In the brush screen article, the protagonist Jin Xiaoyu was disabled by an accident in his childhood, and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had to drop out of high school. With the help of his father, Jin Xiaoyu taught himself the language and embarked on the road of translation. At the time of his illness, he ran away from home and even committed violent acts. But in normal times, he is also a "genius translator", translating 22 foreign books, which are deeply loved by readers.
△ Jin Xiaoyu's introduction
△ Books translated by Jin Xiaoyu. Screenshots of the network
This article leads us to know Jin Xiaoyu, and also takes us into the different life of bipolar patients.
When it comes to "bipolar disorder", many people are unfamiliar, and even think that this is a rare condition that only a few people suffer from. But in the view of Cao Dong, deputy chief physician of the Second Department of Psychiatry of Nanjing Brain Hospital, the prevalence of bipolar disorder is far more common than people think.
△Nanjing Brain Hospital. Courtesy of the hospital
The scientific name of bipolar disorder "bipolar disorder" or "bipolar disorder" generally refers to a mental disorder that has both a manic attack and a depressive episode in the clinic. According to the China Bipolar Disorder Prevention and Control Guidelines (Second Edition), epidemiological surveys in Western countries from the 1970s to the 1980s showed that the lifetime prevalence of bipolar disorder was 3.0%-3. 4%, in the 1990s it rose to 5.5% to 7.8%.
Relevant data show that the most recent epidemiological survey of bipolar disorder in the mainland is still in 1982, and only 12 areas in the mainland have been investigated. At the time, the survey results showed that the prevalence of bipolar disorder in mainland China was only 0.042% (including only manic authors). There are obvious discrepancies with foreign data.
In Cao Dong's view, the large gap between Chinese and foreign data does not mean that the number of bipolar disorder patients in the mainland is small. However, due to the lack of development of the mainland medical system in the 1980s, the research on bipolar disorder and other conditions was lagging behind. In other words, most patients are passively "invisible".
△Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Bipolar Disorders in China (Second Edition)
In recent years, thanks to the country's emphasis on mental health, medical insurance coverage and other factors, the "invisible" of bipolar patients has been lifted, Cao Dong believes that in recent years, the prevalence of bipolar disorder should increase. According to his speculation, the current prevalence of bipolar disorder in China should be 2%, which means that 2 out of 100 people will suffer from bipolar disorder.
This data may be a bit surprising, but Cao Dong explains that illness does not represent an attack. Bipolar disorder has a certain latentity, many patients are no different from ordinary people when they are not sick, and even some patients will perform very well.
Bipolar disorder patients do not all "sabotage"
"It's like a programmer with mild bipolar disorder, who may be energetic on the outside, who doesn't have to sleep every day, who can work overtime to write code without getting tired, and who has an active mind and a lot of ideas." According to Cao Dong, most patients with bipolar disorder have the characteristics of high energy. From the outside world, it is likely that only a diligent, hard-working person will be seen, but in the eyes of doctors, behaviors such as not sleeping and being abnormally active are likely to be a manifestation of bipolar disorder.
"Focusing on learning and writing code is a constructive exercise." Cao Dong said that if some patients calm down, for example, focus on translation and other work like Jin Xiaoyu, then there will indeed be a certain constructive performance. However, the onset of bipolar disorder patients has uncontrollable characteristics, he stressed, "the onset of bipolar disorder, that is, the switch from 'constructive' to 'destructive' is uncontrollable, it is possible that he sleeps up, and as soon as he wakes up, he becomes a person." ”
Once the disease occurs, it means that people with bipolar disorder lose control of their thinking and behavior. Many bipolars seem to have changed after the onset of the disease, and an introvert will even talk endlessly and mouth after the onset of the disease, and once he is awake, he will be too shy to speak. Therefore, some people describe bipolar disorder as "emotional ice and fire, life and death or in one thought".
Clinically, some people with bipolar disorder become self-centered after the onset of the disease. Become irritable and irritable when communicating with people. It is during this period that some patients engage in violent acts. Cao Dong also said that even if the illness occurs, it does not mean that it is equal to resorting to violence.
In Cao Dong's many years of medical experience, the behavior of a bipolar patient is still fresh in his memory. The patient is an elderly man, married and has children, and is usually the pillar of the family. The family's economy is more difficult, and the couple relies on farming and working outside the home to piece together nearly 40,000 yuan to prepare for their daughter's college fees. However, after a medical attack, the husband suddenly and quietly ran out of the house with a passbook and donated all the 40,000 yuan that the family had saved and used.
"It's not that the donation is wrong, he acted in a position that he thought was perfect and higher than reality when he was sick, and he regretted it when he woke up." Cao Dong explained, "Bipolar patients generally behave in thinking and behaving out of reality after the onset of the disease, which is different from ordinary people. ”
It is the norm for white-haired people to see a doctor with a black-haired person
In the eyes of Jin Xiaoyu's father, his son is a genius, but he has to send his son to a mental hospital almost every year. In this regard, Cao Dong said that once bipolar patients develop disease, they need to be hospitalized. Most patients recover after a month of medication and physical therapy, but due to resistance to medication after discharge, the recurrence rate of bipolar disorder is high, and patients tend to recur.
In addition to the high recurrence rate, in recent years, bipolar disorder has also shown a younger character. At present, most of the bipolar patients who come to Nanjing Brain Hospital are students during high school and university studies, as well as office workers aged around 35. Cao Dong also often sees white-haired parents bringing their young children to the doctor.
"Innate genetic factors, as well as acquired environmental stresses, often combine to contribute to the onset of bipolar disorder." In Cao Dong's view, the pressure of going to school and working faced by young adults is one of the reasons for the gradual rejuvenation of the incidence of bipolar disorder.
The gradual rejuvenation of the incidence brings another problem, as parents inevitably age, how to care for sick children becomes a problem. Cao Dong has seen more than once that the elderly parents were able to bring their sick children to seek medical treatment with the help of the police.
"Fortunately, our country attaches great importance to mental health issues, and has invested a lot in recent years." According to Cao Dong, at present, bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses have been paid attention to, bipolar disorder has been included in the medical insurance system, and the patient's family members have very little self-payment when they visit the doctor.
In the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Protection and Development of persons with disabilities" issued by the State Council in July 2021, accelerating the development of care and care services for the disabled, improving the insurance coverage and treatment level of the disabled, and improving the social welfare system and social preferential treatment policies for the disabled are all classified as key tasks. It also specifically mentions that it is necessary to "accelerate the construction of a mental health welfare service system and provide rehabilitation, care and other services for the mentally disabled with special difficulties." ”
In Nanjing, in addition to bipolar disorder, insured residents with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and paranoid psychosis can conduct a review of disease identification at the medical insurance office of designated medical institutions. After the approval is approved, the proportion of medical expenses incurred in outpatient clinics is 80% for the elderly residents and other residents' funds, and 85% for the student children's and university students' funds.
Cao Dong introduced that in addition to medical insurance assistance, communities and streets will provide assistance for people with mental disabilities. If the parents are too old to take care of the child, they can also apply to the street to change the custody, and the street will take care of it.