Melissa: It never occurred to me that it might be something, you know, physical.
Female Speaker: Melissa, a young artist from Northern California is a happy, creative woman with a passion for her career. Her life used to consist of 80-hour workweeks and extreme stress. So extreme, she eventually dreaded going to work.
Melissa: I just thought I was burned out because a lot of people get burned out when you're working that hard.
Female Speaker: Melissa began withdrawing from everything in her life. She no longer wanted to answer the phone or even get out of bed. Miles away from her family, her friends recognized there was a problem, but they stepped in and, literally, saved her life.
Melissa: I'm very lucky. My friends kind of came in and helped me when I couldn't help myself and helped me realize that I needed to go to a hospital and take care of what was going on that it wasn't getting better.
Female Speaker: Melissa was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a recurrent condition with a depression component that can include periods of extreme elation.
Melissa: It's like being on a rollercoaster. So you go from feeling great to feeling too great and kind of hyper or and then crash and you become incredibly depressed.
Female Speaker: Bipolar disorder can be difficult to diagnose partly due to the fact that primary care physicians are not as well equipped to handle mental illnesses as are specialists. During the course of her treatment, Melissa met her psychiatrist, Natalie Rasgon, Dr. Rasgon says bipolar disorder affects all aspects of a person's life.
Dr. Natalie Rasgon: It's a recurrent illness and with each episode, it may be more and more difficult to contain. And unfortunately if people do not pay attention to how they feel and seek help for that, it can ruin their lives.
Melissa: You have to understand, when you're coming out of a depressed state, it feels good. You feel alive. You want to do things, and I had for so long felt so depressed and not caring about anything that I felt so good."
Female Speaker: Getting bipolar patients to stick with their medication, psychotherapy, and other treatment plans can be a challenge.
Dr. Natalie Rasgon: If I tell someone they have manic depression, they feel that they are labeled for life and that in itself is a very negative stimulus for them to take medication.
Female Speaker: Melissa has come to terms with her diagnosis, and is adjusting well to her treatment plan. She devotes much of her time to her new career in art. And, she's got a new romantic interest, and looks forward to the future.
Melissa: Work and have a family and have a husband and, you know, live in a house. Just have a fulfilling life. I believe I can have that and I believe that I'm on the way.
Female Speaker: Melissa is living proof bipolar disorder can be treated, and managed. And people with bipolar can live happy, normal lives.
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