Motor City Hypnotist
Motor City Hypnotist
Beyond the Mood Swings: The Reality of Bipolar Disorder - Part 1
The term "bipolar" gets tossed around casually in everyday conversation, often mischaracterized as simple mood swings or emotional volatility. But what does bipolar disorder actually involve? This episode dives deep into the reality of this widely misunderstood condition.
Bipolar disorder isn't about rapid fluctuations between happiness and sadness. Instead, it involves distinct episodes of either mania or depression that can persist for hours, days, weeks, or even months. Those with the condition often recognize their own patterns, sometimes even anticipating when an episode might begin.
We explore the key differences between Bipolar I (characterized by at least one manic episode), Bipolar II (involving hypomania and depression), and cyclothymic disorder (featuring chronically unstable mood states). During manic phases, a person might experience heightened energy, poor judgment, insomnia, and engage in risky behaviors like excessive spending or gambling—not because they choose to, but because their brain chemistry temporarily alters their decision-making ability.
The podcast also addresses how mental health diagnoses can unfortunately become ingrained in someone's identity. There's a profound difference between saying "I am bipolar" versus "I have bipolar disorder"—language that can shape how individuals view themselves and their condition.
Perhaps most importantly, we discuss the dangers of misdiagnosis and self-diagnosis. With symptoms that overlap across various mental health conditions, it's crucial to seek professional evaluation rather than labeling normal emotional responses (like grief) as disorders.
Want to learn more about hypnotherapy and how it might help with mental health challenges? Text "hypnosis" to 313-800-8510 for a free guide, and consider subscribing to join our growing community of listeners passionate about mental health understanding.
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Change your thinking, change your life!
Laugh hard, run fast, be kind.
David R. Wright MA, LPC, CHT
The Motor City Hypnotist
David Wright: 0:00
In this episode of the Motor City Hypnotist Podcast, we're going to talk about bipolar disorder. Now, I know this is a term that's thrown around a lot to kind of describe people, and in fact I think we probably did an episode way back when but I thought this was a good time to revisit this to kind of just give you the information Because, again, like I said, the term is used kind of to cover a lot of different things that aren't really involved in that diagnosis, right? So we're going to talk about bipolar disorder and, as we've done every episode, going back to number one, we're giving away free stuff. So hang in there, folks, we will be right back.
Announcer: 0:37
This sounds like something for the authorities in Detroit. Well, joke's on you. I'm living to 102 and then die at the city of Detroit.
Matt Fox: 0:46
Guys like this can't take over here. Out of Detroit, spawn in the hellfires of Motown, take him to Detroit.
Announcer: 0:54
No, no, not Detroit, no, no, please Anything, but that no, stationed in Drambuie, it's worse than Detroit. We did not have, as a unit, the confidence that we felt like we needed to beat Detroit. Let's go to Detroit. Now you're talking brother. I don't think so. He plays for Detroit now. Do they have many farms in Detroit?
Matt Fox: 1:18
Detroit to Michigan. I go to school. I know where Detroit is.
Announcer: 1:22
Get ready for the Motor City hypnotist, David R Wright. Originating from the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, he has hypnotized thousands of people from all over the United States. David R Wright has been featured on news outlets all across the country and is the clinical director of an outpatient mental health and hypnosis clinic located just south of Detroit, where he helps people daily using the power of hypnosis.
David Wright: 2:11
What is going on, my friends? This is David Wright, the Motor City Hypnotist, and we are back with another episode of the Motor City Hypnotist podcast. It's been a hot second. It's been a hot second. Yeah. Well, last episode, matt, I'm glad to hear your missus is okay. Oh yeah, she's not out, we're good, no, no, yeah.
Matt Fox: 2:25
Well, last episode, matt, I'm glad to hear your missus is okay. Oh yeah, we're good. No, no, no, no, you're good.
David Wright: 2:28
So Matt missed last time I was in. But yeah, I was in a couple weeks ago, but we're back. We're back to our normal schedule here. It's Monday In the Podcast your Voice palatial, southfield Studios I doing a podcast life is good folks will listen, however, whenever, however right.
Matt Fox: 2:50
So you have to subscribe, you have to tune in if you will.
David Wright: 2:52
But you are on all of the, all the major podcast providers, so you gotta like and subscribe. You know, like and subscribe do all that kind of good stuff, give your firstborn, whatever yeah, and, and just as a heads up, those of you who've who've listened to the audio, maybe you're subscribed on itunes or spotify or somewhere and you want to actually see us join us monday evenings on on my motor city hypnotist facebook page and you'll see it stream live and you can comment you can comment it can be a part of the part of the discussion if you have questions or you have points to make.
David Wright: 3:22
Yeah, come, come and join the fun.
Matt Fox: 3:24
If you're in the Metro Detroit area. You got nothing to do on a Monday night. Yeah, Join us.
David Wright: 3:28
Sure, come on in.
Matt Fox: 3:30
You can sit next to me. That's okay, absolutely I won't hit you very hard.
David Wright: 3:34
Yeah, but yeah, join us. Yeah, absolutely, we got a full bar here. I mean just saying we have the we, we have the accoutrements for, for a nice podcast.
Matt Fox: 3:47
And then, on top of that, if you are looking to maybe start your own podcast. Yes, you know, come in, check it out, see what the amenities are. You know what we do to make it easy for our podcasters to walk in sit down, speak their mind and just do what they need to do and not have to worry about everything else.
David Wright: 4:06
Well, let me vouch for that, because I do not want to be dealing with the backend as far as the technology and posting and all of that as far as the podcast itself. So it's great, I come in, I sit down, we do our show, I leave and it appears magically in a couple of days.
Announcer: 4:24
I love Jamie.
David Wright: 4:26
Flanagan.
Matt Fox: 4:27
Let me just say yeah, Jamie does. We both do.
David Wright: 4:29
Yeah, definitely Awesome. So let me tell you, folks, where you can find me. My website is MotorCityHypnotistcom. It's summertime, it's kind of a. I know most of the fairs have been booked already, but if you're having to look for entertainment for a day or two at your fair, take a look at that. Absolutely, you can book it directly through my website, and if you're looking for personal sessions as well, you can do that on the website, and you can also look at all kinds of different other things that we have as far as products and resources and things to help you with the things you're dealing with For next year.
Matt Fox: 5:02
Next season if you have an art fair, whether it be in the Plymouth area or the Rochester area the Wyandotte. I just went to the.
David Wright: 5:09
Wyandotte Street Fair this past weekend.
Matt Fox: 5:11
Art fairs that are happening every single weekend and if you're looking for somebody to just do a show, just to get your guests entertained because there's a lot of great things you always want to support local uh-huh. But just something different, because I I've been to a lot of art fairs over the past few years. I haven't seen a show, if you right.
David Wright: 5:29
Yes, so I know, I know that the wind out street fair. I don't know if they had it this this past, this past weekend, I know we went in, got our food ate and wandered around for a little bit, but typically they've had like a beer tent and then they have live music. So so they do have a stage set up there for performances, so they do have acts come in. So, yeah, if you're looking for something different, go to my website. I'm here for you. My social media, facebook and YouTube are both Motor City Hypnotist, snapchat, instagram and TikTok. While it's still around, or maybe, who knows, it's a coin flip. Who knows, who knows, are all Motor City Hypno. That's H-Y-P-N-O.
David Wright: 6:08
And, as we've done, as I mentioned in the intro, all the way back to episode number one, your free hypnosis guide. It's a PDF I've written. You can have it for free. Just text the word hypnosis to 313-800-8510. Now, you might not remember that number when I'm saying it if you're listening in your car or something, but just go to my website. It's the exact same phone number that's on the website MotorCityHypnotistcom. Text the word hypnosis to that number and within a couple of minutes you'll get your PDF and also a link to leave a review and this is the important thing Leave a review about the podcast. Reviews help us to get more people. It just gets our name out more and it just helps us tremendously.
Matt Fox: 6:47
So please do that.
David Wright: 6:48
Yes, alrighty, it is time, matt.
Matt Fox: 6:53
You've missed a couple.
Announcer: 7:00
It's time, it's been weeks. That's how winning is done.
David Wright: 7:04
All righty I also want to add, Matt, that the last episode that you missed, or a couple of episodes that you missed, we were talking about humor and using humor to help with mental health issues. That's funny, but we also counted down our top 10 funniest movies which you missed.
Matt Fox: 7:19
I did miss that, so you can check it out.
David Wright: 7:21
Yeah, check it out after that.
Matt Fox: 7:22
I will Darn it All right.
David Wright: 7:26
So our story comes from the Swiss Alps. Really, yes, is it cold. It is All right. Like a miniature St Bernard, a Chihuahua is being called a four-legged hero after helping to save his owner who had fallen down an icy crevasse in the Swiss Alps. I have my hand up already.
Matt Fox: 7:47
Yes, yes, they shake enough as it is, yeah.
Announcer: 7:50
I know, I know, go on Okay.
Matt Fox: 7:54
They shake enough as it is, but now we have a Chihuahua in the cold.
David Wright: 7:57
We do. We have a Chihuahua in the Swiss Alps.
Matt Fox: 7:59
In the cold.
David Wright: 7:59
Yes, it's shivering already, so how much colder can it get the Air, zermatt. Helicopter Company credited the long-haired pup with leading them to the location of the man who was hiking the Phi Glacier in Vales Okay. Vales. Sorry, vales, v-a-l-a-i-s Vales. Yeah, the company said the fall happened in early afternoon, when he suddenly broke through a snow bridge and plunged 26 feet into the crevasse. Crevasse, yeah, or is it velaz? Well, it's technically called a crevasse, the way it's spelled, but is it velaz or velay?
Matt Fox: 8:37
I don't know it's crevaze, crevasse Go on.
David Wright: 8:41
While the man was stuck in the glacier ice, his faithful companion, a small chihuahua, was left at the edge of the crevasse.
Matt Fox: 8:49
That's light enough.
David Wright: 8:50
Luckily, the accident victim was carrying an amateur walkie-talkie with which he was able to call for help, but the person who received the call was unable to learn the exact location of the accident.
David Wright: 9:01
Hello, I'm stuck in someplace. That's very white, there's snow all around me. I fell through some ice. It's like, okay, you could be anywhere in the Swiss Alps, I have a trawalla. Searching for the collapse site proved difficult for the three-person helicopter crew because the glacier surface was wide and the hole was barely visible. Been there, done that. One of the rescue specialists.
Matt Fox: 9:31
What in blazes are you talking?
Announcer: 9:32
about I'm listening to you no more.
Matt Fox: 9:42
Continue gathering yourself. Yes.
David Wright: 9:44
Searching for the collapsed site proved difficult for the three-person helicopter crew because the glacier surface was wide and the hole barely visible. Yeah, we got that, yeah, yeah. Then one of the rescue specialists spotted a small movement on the rock a chihuahua, and it was right next to the collapsed hole. Life-saving rig, rescues, hiker. Oh, I'm sorry, that's the photo caption. I got it, I don't need to read that. The rescuers then, oh boy, here's a word we don't know Absealed, absealed. Do you know that word?
David Wright: 10:19
Glossed over or sealed over. The rescuers then absealed down to the casualty.
Matt Fox: 10:24
Abseiled, so they.
David Wright: 10:25
And were able to pull him out and fly the pair to a hospital in Vispo. Abseiled mean, go down, I guess. Yes, abseiled, abseiled, shut up, jamie, it's A-B-S-E-I-L. Hey, jamie, a what do you think? Yeah, no, the little dog did not move during the entire operation and closely followed every movement of the rescue, said Air Zermatt in a media release and shivered the entire damn time. It is fair to say that his behavior contributed significantly to the successful rescue of the victim. The dog is a four-legged hero who may have saved his master's life. Say that his behavior contributed significantly to the successful rescue of the victim. The dog is a four-legged hero who may have saved his master's life in a life-threatening situation I love you want to do?
Matt Fox: 11:14
you want to see the dog? What's the name of the dog? They didn't even say the name of this hero, this, this four-legged shivering chihuahua.
David Wright: 11:22
you're right, because I've read the whole thing, that they're the name. We've had this discussion, matt. Whenever we do these Winner of the Week stories, we're always left out Like some important piece of information is left out. And yeah, they never mention the dog's name, so anyway, we'll call him Shiver. Do you want to see him? Yes, I want to call him Shiver, shiver, we'll call him Shiver.
Matt Fox: 11:42
Look at that, he's got a lot of hair for chihuahua. Yeah, it was a long hair, they said. It said in the article. He does have a lot of hair so yeah, he was probably warmish, yeah, or warmer. He's a cute puppy. Yeah, looks intelligent.
David Wright: 11:56
He's got kind eyes, you know. The question that comes to my mind is why would you have a 10 pound chihuahua in the swiss alps when you're hiking? Easy to carry, I guess, but apparently he wasn't carrying him when he went in or the dog would be there with him. You want to carry a St Bernard?
Matt Fox: 12:12
on your back. Well, the St Bernard would have the whiskey.
David Wright: 12:16
Well, yeah, let's be honest, he would have the barrel. I would just take that off and chew him away. So anyway, to the Chihuahua that we don't know the name of Shiver. Definitely winner of the week.
Announcer: 12:27
That's how winning is done.
Matt Fox: 12:37
You come up, you come with some of the best winners and we have so many questions. I know.
David Wright: 12:42
It's all. It always raises more questions than it answers, but this may be kind of the fun of it, I guess.
Matt Fox: 12:47
But this is the first time it's been. What's the name of the dog? What's the name of the dog?
David Wright: 12:52
Yeah, usually you would have a name.
Matt Fox: 12:55
It's Geraldo or Judo or something, but Spot I like Shiver.
David Wright: 13:02
Shiver's a good one, yeah, so back to it. Yeah, we're back to it. Okay, we're talking today, folks, about bipolar disorder. So the reason I kind of wanted to revisit this I think we did one way back or it might have been part of another one where we covered it. We have covered bipolar yes.
David Wright: 13:19
But this is something that comes up a lot. So I thought it would be a good time to revisit this, because a lot of times in general and again I'll make a blanket statement A lot of people miss, I can misconceive what bipolar really is. They'll say, oh man, that that guy's really bipolar. Oh man, my wife's really bipolar. So bipolar doesn't. It doesn't define, it's not defined as just mood swings, because that's what people apply the term to, like, oh, this person's you know, zero to 50 in a second, or he's happy, and then he's sad, or he's you know.
Matt Fox: 13:54
Generally, that's what people think of bipolar. What bipolar is?
David Wright: 13:58
They just think it's a fluctuation of mood. No, yes, correct, and it's not that. It does cause a shift in mood and energy levels and thinking patterns, but they're not instantaneous. They don't happen every two minutes, it's not like that. They actually can last. Each episode, whether it's a manic episode or a depressive episode, can last for hours, days, weeks or months Correct. Can last for hours, days, weeks or months, correct. I have clients who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and they kind of know that every year at this time I start to get more depressed or I start to get more manic. They can nail it down as far as timing goes.
Matt Fox: 14:42
I was going to ask the question is it more of a somewhat seasonal thing sometimes, or because they feel something coming on? It's like the weather changing. I can feel it in my knees.
David Wright: 14:50
External factors can sometimes play a part. A lot of times it's just it's kind of the cyclical nature of this disease, that that it's kind of it's. And again, I know a lot, a lot of clients. There's no rhyme or reason as far as these episodes, but a lot of them really have kind of figured out when it's going to kind of come on for them.
Matt Fox: 15:13
So make the differential for me so bipolar.
David Wright: 15:17
It can happen for days, weeks and months when schizophrenia that's a change in mood like, well, schizophrenia is just a permanent condition. Okay, so let me put it this way Bipolar can be as well, but schizophrenia is more. Once it's there, it doesn't go away. Okay, now, I'm not saying that bipolar can go away, but it can be better managed.
Matt Fox: 15:41
So I'm looking for the change why people think why it's different, why I'm thinking, why folks think bipolar is the change in mood swings. So drastically.
David Wright: 15:50
I think it's just the title bipolar, it's, it's like it's, it's the.
Matt Fox: 15:54
The term itself indicates two sides of something what is the diagnosis for someone that does switch? You know personalities or you know they go back and forth and mood swings so quickly, is there?
David Wright: 16:06
that there, I mean that could be caused by any number of factors.
Matt Fox: 16:10
Okay, so you're talking a number of different of the same thing, whether it be schizophrenia, bipolarism, paranoid schizophrenia all of it kind of combined into one.
David Wright: 16:21
Sometimes people can have multiple diagnoses or they can have multiple mental health issues. Okay, so that's not unusual, but we're focused on bipolar. We're focusing just on bipolar. And I did use these terms manic stage and depressive stage because bipolar used to be commonly referred to as manic depression. Okay, that has changed over the years. They that the term bipolar is is less polarizing, not to make a pun okay, shiver, oh great odin's raven. So bipolar disorder is a mood disorder. It's a fluctuation in mood and it comes in cycles. That's the best that the most layman way term that I can use to describe it. Okay, so what happens is and they're different there are different categories of bipolar.
Matt Fox: 17:09
There's bipolar one and we're going to talk about that one first.
David Wright: 17:15
So the key feature of bipolar one disorder is manic episodes, and to meet the criteria for this you have to have at least one manic episode in your life for at least a week, without ever experiencing a depressive episode and for the layman's a manic episode means.
David Wright: 17:34
A manic episode is when your mood is heightened to the sense where you start exercising poor judgment. So, for example, somebody who's in a manic state, they typically don't sleep. So, for example, somebody who's in a manic state, they typically don't sleep. And if this episode is over the course of weeks or months, you can see how that could affect things if you're not sleeping.
Matt Fox: 17:54
I've read insomnia, yes.
David Wright: 17:56
Yep. So when a manic phase happens, it's almost like your mind is out of control. So again, I'll give you some real-life examples of clients I've had. And I've had many, many clients over the years with with bipolar disorder. One one client I had when, when, when she would go into a manic phase, her the behaviors became shoplifting. That was what her mind told her to do and it was like this high that she would get from it.
Matt Fox: 18:24
The endorphins are just firing.
David Wright: 18:27
And again with this client. She'd been caught many times. She's already has a legal you know a legal history of doing this, but every time she got into that manic stage it was like there were, there, was, there's no reasoning, it's just it's going to go off. So so the best way to describe a manic stage it's a long period of heightened activity, brain activity, and could be physical activity, with very little rest or sleep. I'm being very general here, but that gives you an idea. It does.
Matt Fox: 18:57
Folks that will go out and spend money fervorously that they just know that they can't pay back.
David Wright: 19:03
And I'll just read the definition of mania, because this may also may clarify a little bit. It's a condition which you have a period of abnormally elevated or irritable mood, as well as extreme changes in emotions, thoughts, energy, talkativeness and activity level. This highly energized level of physical and mental activity and behavior is a change from your usual self and is noticed noticeable by others, so it's kind of out of your character it just described a roller coaster yes, yes and quite literally in this roller coaster.
David Wright: 19:36
It's always up though. Yeah, yeah, for for a manic phase. Yeah, so, and and again we just mentioned, when people are in a manic state, their judgment is affected, so they'll do things, things that are irresponsible, shoplifting spending. Spending's a huge one. It's a big one. Yeah, promiscuity that happens when you're in a manic phase.
Matt Fox: 19:59
Interesting.
David Wright: 20:00
Gambling driving erratically. So, you see all of these things, it just amps up the risk level of everything that you're doing, because your mind is not regulating it, so it wants to. But in an extreme cases, if this manic phase goes on again we're talking about lack of sleep and rest it can lead to psychotic symptoms because your brain is not at a level where it can, you know, stay calm.
Matt Fox: 20:28
You want to try to control these urges, but you just can't because your brain won't let you.
David Wright: 20:36
Yes, and when you're in this manic phase, there's no rationality. You can't step back and look at it in a logical sense. It doesn't work that way. So yes, and again, in severe cases, once you get into psychotic symptoms, delusions and hallucinations, which again can happen if you've got a long time without sleep or without eating or without you know whatever these things can happen and I know you've read the book by Stephen King insomnia.
Announcer: 21:03
Yes.
Matt Fox: 21:03
That is a good betrayal if you will of someone that is going through the lack of sleep. They are bipolar at the beginning, but then it just progresses. And you've read that book right, it's 400,000, 400,000 pages.
David Wright: 21:19
It's a big book, it's, it's. I'm going to pull up my geek cat. We're going to nerd out for a minute Sidebar nerd sidebar. Insomnia is kind of a linchpin novel to the dark tower series. Yes, it it connects the characters connect that the crimson king is mentioned by name, through insomnia, the low men it's definitely yeah.
David Wright: 21:40
So yeah, if you've not read the dark tower series, it's, it's a, it's a good story. Let's just say it's a great story. So mania is, is a condition typically in bipolar one disorder. So people, people with certain types of bipolar two and we're going to get into that in a minute, bipolar two disorder experience hypomania, which is a less severe form of mania Hypo, h-y-p-a-n-i-a, h-y-p-o, hypo, hypo mania. I thought you said hypo, no, hypo, hypo. And it doesn't last as long as as general manic episodes and it doesn't interfere with. So let's say bipolar two is a is a less severe diagnosis than bipolar one.
David Wright: 22:24
So again, what happens also with bipolar disorder? It's again, it's this fluctuation between a manic phase and in a depressive phase. Now here's the thing with bipolar disorder they don't have to experience both. They'd experience one or the other, but they could still be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. That's interesting, yeah, so again, symptoms of depression, tiredness, changes in appetite, feelings of worthlessness, and a lot of times people just get caught up in the illness itself and they feel like they're somehow at fault. There's a lot of guilt around. You know people with bipolar disorder. So I mentioned a few moments ago, for many, many years it was called manic depression and in the last few decades the medical world specifically has made a drastic not a drastic change, but a very pointed change to describe bipolar disorder. So a lot of times healthcare providers used to use this term manic depression to describe a wide range of mental health symptoms. So again we go back to making the assumption that, oh, this guy's manic depressive, he's all over the place. This lady's manic depressive, she's all over the place.
David Wright: 23:31
It's kind of how they treated fibromyalgia but go on so really the term bipolar disorder is just a more clear diagnosis. There's some clarity with that that we know there was a lot of it. And also there's a lot of stigma and negativity attached with terms like manic or mania, because that's where the term maniac comes from.
Matt Fox: 23:53
And again for people who have sensitive personalities.
David Wright: 23:55
Tom, you're going all the way back to the 19th century and mania, oh yeah. Hysteria, yeah, women used to be put in hospitals for hysteria, yeah.
Matt Fox: 24:03
They were on and no judgment. They were on their period. Well, yeah, For God's sakes.
David Wright: 24:07
That's why yes, there was a hormonal imbalance going on, change or hormonal imbalance going on. So, yes, it's not called bipolar, it's not called manic depression anymore, correct? Because of that? Okay, so I'm just going to go real quick. Bipolar one disorder have experienced one or more episodes of mania. That's a criteria, and these all come from a dsm. When you're diagnosing somebody.
Announcer: 24:35
This is a DSM-4. Diagnostic statistical manual Five.
David Wright: 24:38
Five now. Yeah, we're on five. Yep. Most people with a bipolar I disorder have experienced mania and depression, but the depression is not necessary for the diagnosis. If that makes sense, it does. Bipolar II disorder experience depressive episodes and hypomanic episodes, but they never experience a full manic episode like out of control. So the people who are on the depressed side, the mania tends to be less.
Matt Fox: 25:10
Where's the line? Where's that line crossed?
David Wright: 25:13
It's hard to say because you know you could have a lot of co-occurring diagnoses here. Right, you could have somebody who's bipolar. They might also be schizophrenic, or they might be schizophrenic, but they also could be diagnosed as major depressive disorder. So again, there's a lot of overlap with a lot of mental illness diagnoses.
Matt Fox: 25:36
I know you're a fan of robin williams, absolutely, and in one of his stand-ups he was talking about these world leaders, right, and it kind of going goes towards what we're dealing with today. Yeah, and he's like okay, this is the line of death, you cross it, you die.
David Wright: 25:52
Okay, cross this line, you die, okay, cross this line yeah, right, yeah, so that in a line right keep moving right.
Matt Fox: 25:58
So that's where I'm kind of thinking that bipolar two is like where's that line crossed where you go from two to one? You know it's just it's very hard to differentiate.
David Wright: 26:08
It is difficult and and I don't want to bore everybody out there I could read you the separate criteria from the dsm-5 for each diagnosis and it does flow, it does it differs. It differs a little bit, it does, but I can understand why, like a lay person would be like well, I don't understand this. How can it be one and two and how can you be manic?
Matt Fox: 26:26
and not depressed. That's why I'm asking that question no I'm totally, totally understandable.
David Wright: 26:32
So the other thing that happens at times is people might have what's called cyclothymic disorder. Cyclothymic Cyclothymic, oh, with a clo C-Y-C-L-O-T-H-Y-M-I-C Cyclothymic Cyclothymic disorder. Okay, so this disorder, they have a chronically unstable mood state. They experience hypomania and mild depression for at least two years, oh, my goodness. They'll often have periods of normal mood, but these periods last less than eight weeks. So you can kind of say it's like it's kind of bipolar too, but a little bit less, and this classifies as cyclothymic. I know these all overlap a little bit. And then, as matt said, where's the line for each level as you go up? I'm just, uh, I'm trying to understand it and it's just looking at symptomology. That really, and and that's how, that's how we did when a, when a client comes to see me and unfortunately this is the sad thing yeah, as a therapist, I would never diagnose anyone. I would never say you have depression, you have major depression, you have, you have anxiety, you have bipolar disorder. Problem is we have to diagnose, because that's the only way we get paid right. The insurance won't pay a claim unless you have a diagnosis in in what happens over time. Let me get on my soapbox for a minute Is that as therapists, you're working with people like I've had clients come in and said, oh, I'm bipolar, I'm like, well, how do you know? Right, that's what they told me, yeah, exactly. Oh, I was hospitalized like 10 years ago and that's that's what they said I had. And then we look at it and talk about it and I and we get down to the really kind of the nitty gritty and I think I don't think you're bipolar. I think maybe you have an anxiety disorder or I think maybe you have, you know, maybe, maybe, major depression. That's non-recurring, so so, so there there are.
David Wright: 28:29
I don't like to identify people with a diagnosis, because they take that to heart and then they just believe. If somebody believes they're bipolar, their actions are going to show that, because they were told one time you're bipolar and then they took it and ran with it. But it may not necessarily be true. That's the frustrating part, because they were diagnosed at one point with this thing and they've held onto it as their identity. Identity and it's not your identity, it's just, it's like. It's like saying somebody with cancer that that's their person, that's their identity. No, no, that they, they have a disease that they're dealing with, so it might be chronic. Yeah, yeah, it could be chronic. Sure, absolutely, that's. This is. This is crazy. So how common do you think by?
Matt Fox: 29:15
no pun intended no yeah you get it.
David Wright: 29:18
How common do you think, bipolar disorder?
Matt Fox: 29:20
is, oh, it's very common right now in the market in the world today. At this, I can honestly say that a lot of folks walk around thinking that they have, that they are bipolar, because they have been told by a doctor or by Google or chat GPT, that they, they, they look at the diet, they look at the mannerisms of bipolar and they're like, yeah, that's me. And then they run with it.
David Wright: 29:50
Well, and here's the thing, and let me let me say this, folks, because you can go through the DSM-5 and look at each. I mean, it's a manual. There's thousands of diagnoses in here, maybe hundreds. I may be exaggerating, but still it's a lot. You could flip over to any page and probably find one thing that applies to you.
David Wright: 30:10
Of course, that doesn't mean you have that Right, it's one thing, I've experienced this symptom in my lifetime and I'll just give you a random example Somebody who's just lost a parent or a death in the family. They're going to be sad, they're going to have depressive symptoms. It doesn't mean you have major depression. You're reacting to a situation that has happened. Now those kind of situations could lead into major depression.
Matt Fox: 30:38
If you are the type of person that will let it.
David Wright: 30:40
Well, that's kind of the hard thing and again, grief is a very difficult thing to deal with, that's a whole other, you know. In fact, we'll do a podcast on that coming up too, because I don't think we've ever addressed that.
Matt Fox: 30:52
I don't think we've ever addressed death symptoms. Yeah, grief yeah, I think we've ever addressed that. I don't think we've ever addressed death symptoms. Yeah grief.
David Wright: 30:57
Yeah, I don't think we've ever gotten deep because it's a, it's a really tough. It's very, it is very touchy.
Matt Fox: 30:59
It's a touchy such it's very touchy and I know that we would probably, you know, cross some lines, but fact is, we all have to deal with it well, no, because we all experience loss, we all experience death.
David Wright: 31:11
It's part of life and, yes, it is sad. I was just telling matt before, before the show and our and our in between, you know, we lost our turtle last week, yeah, last weekend. Now you people would think, oh, it's a turtle, why are you gonna be upset about that? I'm like no, this, this turtle actually had a personality. He would get excited when you went in. He couldn't wait to eat. Yeah, I mean it's, it's you, you could attach, could attach things. And it hurts when you, when you lose somebody, you're going to grieve.
Matt Fox: 31:40
Hello. We all have people that we love.
David Wright: 31:43
We have animals, that animals, animals maybe more so than the people.
Matt Fox: 31:49
I could share a story with you and I know I could share a future story with you with my current pet. Absolutely, because I know I will not be a happy person Absolutely. But I'm really intrigued to learn about the next half of this of bipolar.
David Wright: 32:05
Absolutely, and we're going to get more into it as far as specific symptomology and, really, things that you can do to help yourself if you feel like this might be something that's affecting you. That's fair. Yeah, absolutely. So before we do that, before we end for today, those of you on Facebook live, stick around. We're doing another episode. Those of you, on whatever platform you're on, skip ahead to the next episode, or it'll be there Tuesday or Thursday. Before we leave.
Matt Fox: 32:32
Oh, somebody needs a home. Bring them before we leave.
David Wright: 32:36
Oh, somebody needs a home. Bring them, bring them. I I saw the picture and it's adorable. Polo needs a home. He was born in 2020, so he's probably almost five years old yeah he's no longer a puppy, he's a yorkie. He's eight pounds, perfect. Dog friendly, yes. Kid friendly, ages 10 and over. Okay, cat friendly unknown we never know cats because you never mix them. But here's polo. Polo needs a home, look at that face.
David Wright: 32:59
Oh, my goodness, gracious he is a, he definitely will go fetch the ball oh I, I would think he would, he would go, he would go running like crazy, absolutely, yeah, he is so much fun looking.
Matt Fox: 33:13
I love his ears, his, I know.
David Wright: 33:15
Just like one ear is off and the other one's out.
Matt Fox: 33:17
But his ears are so big he's not done growing yet.
David Wright: 33:20
Oh, I got it. He has to grow into those. Well, he's five years old, though.
Matt Fox: 33:22
No, but he's got growing to do Just saying All right.
David Wright: 33:25
Polo needs a home.
Matt Fox: 33:27
Do it.
David Wright: 33:27
Take him home. He'll be detroitdogrescuecom slash adopt. Thank you all righty folks. That is our show for today. Again, facebook live. People stick around. We're doing another one. Those of you on audio skip ahead. In the meantime, change your thinking, change your life. Laugh hard, run fast, be kind. We'll see you next time I'm out.