Mood disorders, including depression and bipolar, are more common than most physical diseases, yet most of us have a poor grasp on what they actually are. Emotional disregulation is the most obvious outward symptom, but that's just one effect of broader neurological dysfunction. Let's explore the exciting world of mood (or affective) disorders! Doesn't this look like fun?! Traditionally, mood disorders are presented on a model with one axis, like the figure below: Image: Mayo Clinic Euthymia is the x-axis, and mood disorders depart from there, either going high (mania) or low (depression). There is a major flaw with this model, especially when we talk about suicide risk. Recent research has found that most of the time bipolar people are actually experiencing mixed episodes, or moods with both manic and depressive features. The model above cannot represent mixed episodes, leading many to believe they are rare. I developed a different 2-axis model to better rep...
Suicide is not incomprehensible, inevitable, or evil. I have struggled with severe mental illness and suicidal ideation for decades. I, and most people in my situation, have been groping blindly though the darkness in shame and fear. Not any more. It's time we look directly into the void, together.