This is the product of my fertile thoughts. I am recreating them here and am sharing them with you, dear bloggers, for whatever benefits, if any, you could derive from them. I wish you could be more open and share with me your comments and suggestions so that I can improve on my blog. Thank you, God bless and have a nice day. Mel Avila Alarilla
The first time I saw this term in almost all the blogs of bipolar patients, I was intrigued by it. Now I know the meaning of the term and how it encompasses the very lives and interconnections of its members.
It is as if they are living in their own world and what matters to them is their illness, its symptoms, its effects on their lives and how they interrelate with one another. It is as if they literally cling to the saying, "misery loves company." Now, don't get me wrong. It is never my intention to do group bashing or anything to that effect. I love them, individually and collectively. I pray hard for them.
Their own world (bipolar planet) is very sacred, almost exclusively for them, and they are weary and suspicious (not all of them, though) of strangers who would intrude on their sacred ground.(I should know. I have been the victim of savage rebuffs by a few whom I tried to reach out and relate to. God bless them.)
I don't know if the effect of this on their sickness is good or bad. Good, because they have one another to interrelate to, and bad, because there is a tendency for them to over focus on the disorder itself and its damaging effects on their lives and behaviors, so much so, that they are liable to wallow more in self pity and severe depressions. There is also a tendency to turn a blind eye on the extreme behaviors of other members like attempted suicides, self mutilations, promiscuities, and other anti social behaviors.
As far as I know, bipolar disorder is not incurable. Many cases of patients with bipolar disorders were cured and are now living normal lives. In fact, many of them do live normal lives. Bipolar disorder is not as bad as cancer of the brain, cancer of the bones, leprosy or aids.
The problem is, they are so focussed on the physical reality of their illnesses. But whether they agree or not, there is a spiritual reality of everything that encompasses our physical reality. That's why, miracles happen.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.....The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." (John 1:1 & 14a) The Word and Jesus Christ are the same. When tempted by the devil in the desert, Jesus did not use His power to foil the devil. He used the Word of God to defeat him.
Jesus never lies, and when He said, "Your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering" (Mark 5:34), He meant just that. The wounds that was inflicted on His body represents divine healing for all kinds of diseases, known and unknown to man, even bipolar sickness.
Medical science has proven that a certain amount of faith or belief can heal. Case studies of some patients given placebo pills (sugar coated flour pills with no actual medicinal contents), who were told that they were taking their regular medicines, have actually experienced healing. And that is just faith or belief in a small pill and the word of the doctor. How much more will living faith in God's words and His faithfulness will produce miraculous healings. Ask those thousands of people healed by God through the ministry of Rev. Benny Hinn.
But alas, in this world, we believe in what we want to believe in.
(With profound apologies to all bipolar sufferers. I never had the intention to hurt or malign you, nor make any disparaging comments on any of you. I just have to cite specific instances to elucidate a point and not to malign anyone. There is no actual allusion to anybody in particular. If I have inadvertently offended anybody, I humbly apologize for it. No malice whatsoever was intended in putting up this post. God bless you all with His amazing grace for your actual healing and deliverance).
This post is dedicated to Amateur Dancer, Marie Coppla, Venice of Unsound Slumber and to all those who are suffering from Bipolar disorders. THERE IS ALWAYS LIGHT AT THE END OF THE DARK TUNNEL.
Yes, we are depressed. Yes, we are desperate. Are there any remedies to these conditions? I wrote this post to tackle the problems of depression and despair among sufferers of bipolar disorders. I do not claim any iota of expertise on this subject matter. In fact, before I came across the term bipolar as I surfed the net, I was blissfully ignorant of it.
Whether depression is a state of the mind or a result of a chemical imbalance of the brain is not the issue here. I leave that to the experts. What I'm after is, how we can alleviate the pain and misery that depression brings to its untold number of victims.
The effects of prolonged depression is catastrophic to the psyche of its victims. It leaves behind a lingering sense of hopelessness and despair that may even trigger a violent tendency towards self destruction. It's like entering a dark tunnel without any hope of ever coming out of darkness into the light. People loses their sense of right or wrong. They are bewildered, totally disoriented and seemingly helpless.
Can hope and prayers overcome depression and despair? With due respect to the medical experts, I say yes. Hope is like seeing a flicker of light in the all pervading darkness of a tunnel. It gives us a sense of anticipation that finally, as we reach the end of the tunnel, we shall finally see the light of day.
And who gives us this hope? Only God can and will. And we can fan the flames of hope through prayers. "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31)
How do you think those early Christians were able to face death with calm and equanimity as they were crucified, mauled by lions and bears, or defenselessly butchered by battle scarred gladiators? They sang songs of praise and worship and even uttered prayers of forgiveness for their tormentors. They were clinging to that glorious hope of a blissful afterlife. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him." (1Corinthians 2:9) Surely depression, outright insanity and total helplessness would have set in to those who have no hope whatsoever if faced with the same situations.
Today, situations may vary but the results will still be the same. Those who have hope and diligently nurtures it with regular and intense prayers are those who will be able to overcome any obstacles and trials in life, whether they be depression or despair. Unflinching hope and intense prayers usher us to the very presence of God, where we can pour out all the pains and sorrows welling in our hearts. Did not the Lord admonished us to, "Cast all your anxiety on Him for He cares for you." (1Peter 5:7)
When depression sets in, we must never give it a foothold by lingering on it. We can counteract its effects by claiming the promises of the Lord and through His triumphant Spirit. "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty." (Zechariah 4:6b) If we persist in prayers, our hopes will be rekindled like a blazing torch that will illuminate the total darkness surrounding us. In God's time, we will receive our most cherished healing and deliverance. PRAY! IT WORKS!
"Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 4:7b)
DO YOU NEED HELP? ARE YOU IN THE DARK? CAN'T FIND YOUR WAY AROUND? NEED A FRIEND WHO WILL STICK WITH YOU THROUGH THICK OR THIN OR WHEN EVERYBDOY ELSE HAS DESERTED YOU?
