Interesting similarities/links between bipolar disorder & other conditions

I’ve done a bit of research in the past about dissociative symptoms, migraines, bipolar disorder, seizure disorders and pseudo seizures, some types of tinnitus, and even fibromyalgia. There are an uncanny number of  similarities/links between them in some peoples’ experiences. Some (not all necessarily common to all) are as follows:

  • Many are sometimes treated with anticonvulsants (i.e. Depakote, Tegretol, Lamictal, Neurontin aka gabapentin, etc.)
  • Many sometimes include “aura-like” beginnings before “episodes” begin
  • The “Kindling Effect” is relevant to many of these conditions
  • “Out of body experiences” may be had as part of many of these
  • Various types of hallucinations may be experienced as part of many of these (i.e. visual, auditory, space-time distortions, deja vu, oflactory, musical, etc.)
  • Types of amnesia (like en block or fragmentary blackouts) or memory issues, as part of many, for some
  • Many have similar stressors/triggers (i.e. light, types of stress, hormonal changes, others)
  • Anxiety and/or depression may occur as part of, or as a result of many of the mentioned
  • Psychological and/or physical trauma linked to triggering start of many of these disorders
  • Sleep disturbances (insomnia, hypersomnia) may play a role in many of these
  • Hypergraphia in some bipolar disorder moods & some Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) experiences
  • Hyper religiosity and intense spiritual experiences in some bipolar disorder moods and TLE experiences
  • Some brain scans look quite similar in people with bipolar disorder and TLE after some mood states/experiences
  • Various speech related dysfunctions during certain episodes and/or forms of the disorder (stuttering, perseveration, circumstantial speech, etc.)
  • In some of these cases, people with one (or more) of the above-mentioned conditions, also frequently have a higher percent chance of having another, than the general public (for example, people with bipolar disorder have a higher incidence of migraines)

The brain is a very interesting organ!

Note: I’m sorry I have not included references for the above. If anyone wishes to be directed to any, for particular disorder/syndrome links, please let me know.

4 thoughts on “Interesting similarities/links between bipolar disorder & other conditions

    • Thanks, Darlene! I’ve had some major difficulty writing for my blog. This is not as complete as I would like, but sometimes posting something helps get the ball rolling. I may add on to it at a later date.

      I hope you are doing well.

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      • Thank you, bipolartaxi! That’s interesting that you mentioned editing. Even though I’ve struggled to write new content, I have spent time editing my posts recently and thinking about them from a different spot in my life.

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