Explosive Rages and Bipolar Disorder
As I have been working in the field of maladaptive behaviors for many years I occasionally encounter persons with diagnosed bi-polar disorder (by the way bipolar is not multiple personality disorder) that are struggling to understand the stages and ramifications of their wide mood swings. The following is a sample of one such request for assistance I received and the suggestions I offered.
Keep in mind, I edit all material to maintain the anonymity of the individual and to clarify the content for the readers.
“I could really use some suggestions on dealing with explosive rages. It’s me having them. I’m bipolar. It gets out of control almost every time. Afterwards I feel ill and drained. Aggression being one of my triggers it happens a lot. Some advice would help.”
As it was obvious this person was suffering greatly, there was no way I could decline to offer them what assistance I could.
The following is my response.
“I’ll will be glad to assist you if I can.
Before I offer suggestions, I must remind you that any diagnosed medical condition including bi-polar disorder should be closely monitored by a medical doctor. I am not a medical doctor. My doctorate is in counseling, not psychiatry.
With that in mind, I would be remiss if I did not advise you that many people suffer from emotional turmoil in the time of year surrounding the holidays.
Without more detailed information I can offer you the following strategy designed to assist you in recognizing an escalation cycle.
Stage one: Anxiety. If you find yourself behaving in a way that is not your “usual” it is a stage of anxiety and you must be aware of it and monitor it. This is not only for downturns of mood but for unexplained “up” phases which indicate anxiety as well.
Stage two: Defensiveness. If you find yourself feeling interrogated by others, or perceive slights where none may be present this may be the initiation of the defensive stage.
Stage three: Refusal. At this stage you may notice your behavior shuns even the things you might, in retrospect, enjoy. Check your motivations and desires at this stage.
Stage four: Outburst. At this stage you may find that you have actually lost some rationality. You may lash out verbally or even physically. You best option is to temporarily remove yourself from any potential audience which might feed the flame of your outburst.
Stage five: Reduction. At this phase you may sense a reduction of tension and the ill and drained sensations you mentioned. This is a prime opportunity to reflect on the causal factors and develop a plan for addressing them should they occur again. Otherwise, the cycle is very likely to repeat itself.
Much of this technique relies on your individual temperament. Although, there is not space here to go into this with adequate detail, I invite you to explore the elemental truths of inborn temperament on my site Elemental Truths.
Thank you and good Luck.
Dr.Adkins”
Almost immediately thereafter the individual contacted me again with the following communication.
“Yes the seasonal thing is an issue. My husband is B.P. too. But, he hasn’t been diagnosed yet and I have little faith in the one who diagnosed me.
We’ve been spinning out of control for a year. Because of someone else we have been triggered non stop for a year, and now we’re at each other and we’re both scared of how to stop it.
Just now I am crashing after a bad swing, and we had a bad episode a few days ago. For the first time it was physical. Even though we adore each other.
It’s just that we’ve been pushed so far over the edge that now we’re after each other.
Yeah, I know. I need a doc. I don’t have the means. Assistance here is a joke. But I did try it once and it was all drugs and no real help.
The drugs won’t stop what goes on inside. So, we feel lost. The rages started getting worse and worse.
The stages you wrote down were profound. Almost scary in there accuracy.
Thank you for taking the time to help. I will try your site for more answers.
Thanks, again.”
At this point I offered a few more suggestions for understanding the development of extreme behaviors and the precipitating incidents as well as discussing the danger of self-diagnosis and closed with the following.
“I understand you are very troubled. But, you should take heart. Seeking assistance is a significant step.
I wish you the very best of health
~Dr. Adkins”