The information on the video is narrated by Tony Dow from "Leave it to Beaver", fame.
DARK GLASSES AND KALEIDOSCOPES
An Educational video about Bipolar Disorder
If
you have just been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, you are probably
feeling a number of emotions right now. You might wonder about the
symptoms of the disorder. You might feel confused about how an illness
such as this one occurs and what causes it. You might be feeling the
grief that naturally occurs with the prognosis that accompanies a
chronic mental illness. You may feel that your life or the lives of
your loved ones will never quite be the same.
The information
provided in this Video will be helpful in giving you an education about
the illness of the brain called bipolar disorder. By observing those
who have experienced the illness and have learned to cope with it on a
daily basis, you may be able to gain insight and hope in living with
bipolar disorder.
THE FACTS: Bipolar disorder results from
chemical imbalances in the brain. It is not caused by poor parenting
nor is it a personality defect. Simply, bipolar disorder is like any
other illness of an organ in the human body. This one, however,
involves body chemistry. The abnormal chemistry of bipolar disorder
impairs brain function in the same way that too much or too little of
other body chemicals damage the heart, kidneys, or liver.
Just
like people with heart disease may have a serious heart attack, people
with a brain disorder will have periods when the illness rears its ugly
head, and they experience the restlessness of mania or the deep
lethargy which accompanies a depressive episode.
The illness
can be compared to somewhat like having two pairs of sunglasses. One
pair 'turns the world into a marvelous kaleidoscope... a center of high
energy and excitement.' The person who wears these glasses can feel on
top of the world- but only for awhile. This is a manic state and it is
a period of intense energy. The individual feels that he/she is highly
creative and has no need for sleep. The manic state can be very
pleasant to the person who is experiencing it. However, after these
intense and exciting periods, things can change drastically and a
person can experience a period of deep sadness. A feeling of
worthlessness and hopelessness may replace the ecstatic highs of mania.
The kaleidoscopes are replaced by dark glasses.
The Dark
Glasses and Kaleidoscopes Video offers the different stages of bipolar
disorder and teaches those affected by it how to deal with the highs
and lows of this mental illness.