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I do know that the fact is bipolar illness does have a biological basis, there is a chemical imbalance in the brain and if left untreated it does tend to worsen over time. People can go from one or two episodes a year to rapid cyclers over several years of being unmedicated.
Not always. I think this is the Black Ambulance of mental health. Not doing anything with your life when you struggle... yes, it will get worse. But that "something" doesn't have to come in pill necesarilly.
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Bipolar Disorder DOES have a physiological component, it's not a personality disorder.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20833242
Mitochondrial dysfunction and pathology in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Clay HB, Sillivan S, Konradi C.
Source
Neuroscience Graduate Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
Abstract
Bipolar disorder (BPD) and schizophrenia (SZ) are severe psychiatric illnesses with a combined prevalence of 4%. A disturbance of energy metabolism is frequently observed in these disorders. Several pieces of evidence point to an underlying dysfunction of mitochondria: (i) decreased mitochondrial respiration; (ii) changes in mitochondrial morphology; (iii) increases in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphisms and in levels of mtDNA mutations; (iv) downregulation of nuclear mRNA molecules and proteins involved in mitochondrial respiration; (v) decreased high-energy phosphates and decreased pH in the brain; and (vi) psychotic and affective symptoms, and cognitive decline in mitochondrial disorders. Furthermore, transgenic mice with mutated mitochondrial DNA polymerase show mood disorder-like phenotypes. In this review, we will discuss the genetic and physiological components of mitochondria and the evidence for mitochondrial abnormalities in BPD and SZ. We will furthermore describe the role of mitochondria during brain development and the effect of current drugs for mental illness on mitochondrial function. Understanding the role of mitochondria, both developmentally as well as in the ailing brain, is of critical importance to elucidate pathophysiological mechanisms in psychiatric disorders.
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I think it's important to be aware that you have a very strong anti-med bias and what works for you is not going to work for everyone. I also think it's presumptive to assume that those who use meds are not doing anything with their life when they struggle.
I managed to graduate high school a year early, serve in the Peace Corps, get my AA, transfer to a 4 year, get married, get my BA, and have a child before my diagnosis.
I work very hard, have a lot of responsibility and get a lot done. But as I got older my depressions started getting worse and happening more often, I started getting very suicidal despite having things in my life I love, and reasons to live for. I found that my behavior, thoughts, and illness were affecting me, my family and my job.
Meds have given me a balance that I never had before. I work very hard with my T on my past issues but I feel a massive difference in my moods and ability to manage when I am on and off meds.