Does anyone know about bipolar disorder... i am trying to understand this condition...?

My mother is bipolar, she oftens goes off on us for no reason, is this coming from the bipolar or is this just her. She frequently goes off of her meds, she sleeps all the time. Is bipolar disorder a controlable disorder? I have younger brothers and sisters at home, should i be fearful for them?

OK, so it's a mood disorder and a serious mental illness. It has a strong genetic component, but appears to be triggered environmentally. There are no diagnostic tests for it, just psychiatric evaluation. Most sufferers are not diagnosed until middle age, and it takes an average of around 8-10 years to get a correct diagnosis. Historically, figures suggested it affects about 0.8% of the population at some point, which makes it about half as common as schizophrenia. In recent years, bipolar disorder has become an 'in' diagnosis, and many more people are being diagnosed at younger and younger ages. As with ADHD, this fad may well pass with time, although for the moment many celebrities appear to be 'popularising' it.

It is characterised by episodes of severe clinical depression and mania or hypomania (for definitions of those, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/current_dia... ). The extreme end of mania often turns into psychosis, complete with hallucinations and delusions. During manic phases, the person's judgement and perception of reality is severely compromised, leading to risky actions with potentially damaging consequences (financially, sexually and relationship-wise). Untreated, episodes generally worsen over time due to an effect known as kindling. Untreated Bipolar sufferers are at a very high risk of suicide: 20-25% attempt it, and 15% succeed.

The cycles in bipolar disorder are much longer than people generally believe. Anyone whose mood changes from minute to minute is very unlikely to be bipolar. Bipolar 1 is characterised by mood episodes lasting many months, while Bipolar 2 has episodes in the region of weeks to months. Rapid and ultra-rapid cycling bipolar disorder is rare, and cycles last days to weeks.

There are many drugs available to treat the symptoms of bipolar (there is no cure). These are either anti-convulsants or anti-psychotics (personally I take both), and the most well known of these is Lithium. These drugs are heavy duty psychiatric medications and are not to be taken lightly, and most if not all of them have a range of side effects including lethargy, photosensitivity, cognitive impairment (dumb as a box of rocks), weight gain, hormone problems, hair loss and blood problems. These side effects have to be weighed against the benefits of mood stabilisation. Most patients will go through a number of different drugs before finding one that works for them.

webmd.com
they'll have all your answers
Bipolar is an affective mood disorder. There is Type 1 and Type 2.

According to the DSM-IV-TR, a diagnosis of Bipolar I disorder requires one or more manic or mixed episodes. A depressive episode is not required for a diagnosis of BP I disorder, although the overwhelming majority of people with BP I suffer from them as well.
Bipolar II, the more common but by no means less severe type of the disorder, is usually characterized by one or more episodes of hypomania and one or more severe depressions. A diagnosis of bipolar II disorder requires only one hypomanic episode.

Going off her meds, isn't a good thing. She could run into a manic episode, or a depressive episode faster than usual; espcially if she goes on and off of it frequently. If she isn't staying on it long enough, the medication may not even have time to build up in her system, and therefore is having no positive effects on her. Bipolar people, aren't usually threats, and random outbursts of anger isn't typically a symptom of people with bipolar.
Your Mom, if diagnosed correctly, should be on her meds at all times. Even if she is feeling better. The reason she is feeling better is because the meds are working. I would be fear ful for your younger siblings just for the verbal outrage that usually happens with Bipolar episodes. The sleeping is also a sympton of depression which is usally a side effect of Bipolar condition. I would talk to your Mom when she is on her meds and in the correct of state of mind. If this is something that you do not feel comfortable with next time she has a Drs appt.contact her Dr and explain the situation, they will usually discuss this with their patients.
bi polar people...
are not right at all..
they have no control if they are not on their medication..
watch out for her...and don't let her going off on you bother you
she can't help it
go to a counselour and tell them...
Go to www.WebMD.com. Here you will get a medical explanation that is more correct than anything you can get at Yahoo Answers. BiPolar is a condition related to depression. I read that over 20% of the US population is on antidepressants.
This is due primarily because of a chemical imbalance in the brain much like a diabetic needs insulin. Don't forget. Go to
www.WebMD.com.
bopolar disorder is a chemical imbalance in the brain causing your moods to flucuate between the "manic" and the "depressive", which is what this condition used to be called. in the manic phase, going off on you would be expected, and normal for that phase. she might also seem unsually energetic, spend a lot of money, or get excited over nothing. the depressive phase is just the opposite.she might sleep alot, not care about anything--her appearance, family, etc. it is controllable with meds, but many (most, really) people go off their meds either because in the manic phase they feel so good they think they are cured, or because the meds donot allow them to feel much of anything--not especially sad, not especially happy. the tendency to the disorder is thought to be inherited, so you and your siblings have a better than average chance of suffering from this yourselves. you are right to be concerned about young siblings at home with your mom if she is off her meds. her judgement will be impaired in either phase, and there have been instances where a parent caused harm to a child thinking they were doing nothing wrong. i strongly suggest family counseling, if possible. a bipolar person is very hard to live with. you dont mention if your dad is around. if he is, he will need help and understanding also. please find a safe place where you can go day or nite-preferrably with at least one stable adult-if your moms mood becomes uncontrollable in either phase, and do not hesitate to call 911 if you think she may hurt herself or someone else. driving a car is something she should not do in the extremes of either phase. if you belong to good church, you might enlist the aid of your pastor. if he or she is not qualified to help your mom, he would at least be able to find a safe place for you to go. i suggest you go to the library and read all you can about this affliction, as it is quite complex. God bless you and give you strength.