9781422285701

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be happy again. That’s understandable: you’re grieving. It’s natural to feel terrible for a time. People with bipolar disorder have the extreme emotions we just described, but without the context. They feel very “up” or very “down” but with no clear reason why. These emotions interfere with the things they do every day—attending school or work, having friends, and so on. This is why bipolar disorders are a problem. It’s not that emotions are bad. It’s that the emotions are so strong that people can’t live the lives they want to live. Depressive Episodes We’ve all felt depressed at one time or another. Everything looks a bit gray and uninteresting. We don’t have the energy for things we normally like. These are all normal ways to feel sometimes.

People with bipolar disorder feel very “up” or very “down,” but without any clear reason why.