Today it is very possible to ascribe to oneself various «unusual» ailments, which could simply explain one’s own not always adequate behavior. The popularity of individual diagnoses is significantly influenced by trendy literature, the revelations of media personalities, and even cinema. Take, for example, the sensational story of Billy Milligan, colorfully presented in Daniel Keyes’ biographical novel The Multiple Minds of Billy Milligan, and the movie Split based on the book.
By the way. It is bipolar affective disorder that is considered one of the most mysterious and inexplicable phenomena of the human psyche. What kind of illness is this and how dangerous is it to “settle” a company of additional personalities in your head?
BAR: welcome to the emotional swing!
Smart and experienced people know for sure that life is not a series of black and white, it is diverse and has a huge number of shades. But try to explain this to people suffering from BAD! Their whole existence is an endless series of contrasts: now black depression, now incredible euphoria. Moreover, the change of poles does not depend on the real state of affairs at all, and each emotion is greatly enhanced by internal experiences. Of course, those who have learned to live in peace with all their «Selves» can regulate the intensity of emotions, smooth out the differences so that outwardly it seems that a person leads a completely ordinary and even boring life, but …
Me, Me Again, and My Surroundings
It is believed that the appearance in the head of “strangers”, namely additional personalities that are in no way connected with the real personality of the patient, is a protective mechanism of our psyche. Almost all described cases of bipolar disorder confirm that bipolar disorder developed as a result of physical violence against the patient, constant psychological pressure, and the inability to adequately respond to psychological terror. “Withdrawing into oneself”, the conscious personality of a person leaves on the surface someone who can cope with the situation better than she, often it is a stronger, self-confident, determined opponent, who has a completely different set of skills, his own character, whose individual traits are capable of even change the appearance of the «carrier». His actions from the outside are perceived as psychotic attacks, expressed in insane actions. As a rule, after the situation is resolved, the new personality may briefly give way to the main one. At the same time, the person does not remember what exactly he did, does not realize this report.
I’m God
It’s easy to spot when you’re interacting with someone with bipolar disorder. First, a person partially understands that he is not alone in his head. With a change in personality, his behavior also changes markedly. But such people rarely seek help on their own. The presence of a brighter and more decisive «I» gives them an indescribable range of sensations. It seems to them that they see the essence of things, are able to control time and fate, resonate with the cosmos, and so on. All this is due to the constant synthesis of certain substances in the brain that have a psychostimulating effect.
It is worth mentioning that by removing certain blocks from themselves when changing their personality, such people can really achieve more, but along with a sense of omnipotence, the risk of suicide also increases. Bipolar people are often simply unable to cope with nervous tension and emotions during the transition from mania to depression.
It is important to remember that the accuracy of the diagnosis determines the success of further assistance to such patients, because any incorrectly selected remedy can provoke a psychotic attack. During such attacks, a person’s consciousness can undergo irreversible changes, and who knows which of the personalities will seize the right to control the body? In some cases, as, for example, with the same Milligan, 23 personalities shared one body among themselves! And not all of them were harmless and not dangerous to others!