Bipolar disorder is not a genius disease, but a mental illness with intermittent seizures, which is not directly related to iq level.
During the intermittent period of seizures, the patient's behavior can be no different from that of ordinary people, and violent emotional changes may occur during the seizures:
In a depressive episode, the symptoms are similar to the symptoms of depression, manifested by persistent mood depression, lack of motivation, decreased activity, etc., but the risk of suicide is higher than that of depressed patients;
In episodes of manic/hypomanic attacks, symptoms are the exact opposite of depressive symptoms, such as high mood, feeling super good, decreased sleep, increased activity, emotional appeal, and may also be violent, destroyed and injured.
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Patients are expected to have symptoms relieved through psychiatric-regulated drug therapy, which, supplemented by psychotherapy, can help reduce recurrence.
Some people think that people with bipolar disorder are geniuses, and when they have a manic attack, they will burst out a wealth of creativity and unlimited work energy. This kind of beautification may be a bit out of touch with reality - although the speed of thinking association will increase significantly when the patient has a hypomanic or manic attack, it may indeed stimulate creative inspiration, but this episode is very energy-consuming and will have a certain degree of damage to the brain.
Moreover, in fact, the vast majority of patients in the manic / hypomanic attack stage, it is easy to open a lot of new pits in a short period of time, it is difficult to have a beginning and an end, the subjective experience is chaotic, and excessive physical overdraft will also have a negative impact on health.
Romantic fantasies about mental disorders seem to be popular literary themes, but unfortunately the reality is cruel.
After all, the "geniuses" who show special talents are in the minority. Assuming that Van Gogh did not suffer from bipolar disorder, it is possible that he could have lived longer and left behind more paintings that will be amazed by posterity.
Q&A author
Ding Ruoshui Master of Mental Illness and Mental Health
Audit specialists
Zhou Xiaobo Is an attending physician in the Department of Psychiatry
Planning and production
Curated by: Monkey Pigeon | Executive Producer: BruceLi, Fei
Image source: Lilac Doctor content team, Figureworm Creative