Life is What You Make It: A Story of Love, Hope and How Determination Can Overcome Even Destiny

by Preeti Shenoy

love and time are the greatest gifts one can receive.

Sometimes, we do not appreciate fully what we have unless we lose it.

There is only a fine line between sanity and insanity. Who is to decide that someone is insane and others are ‘normal’?

Bipolar disorder is a serious brain disorder that causes dramatic shifts in moods, energy levels, attitudes and ability to carry out everyday tasks. It is very different from the normal mood changes that everybody goes through from time to time. It develops typically in late adolescence or early adulthood. The symptoms are very severe and it is usually hard to diagnose, as it is not easy to spot when it starts.

manic state, the person feels overly happy, outgoing and is bursting with high energy levels. Creativity is at an all time high. There is a huge increase in goal directed activities and the person is usually restless and needs very little sleep. The person is very energetic, optimistic and enthusiastic about everything.

during a low period, there is an increasing feeling of worthlessness or emptiness which is hard to describe. The person feels exhausted and has trouble concentrating or remembering things and making decisions. There is a loss of interest in everything that the person once enjoyed including sex. Often the person thinks of death and suicide attempts are not uncommon. There are several variations of bipolar disorder. For more information on these please log on to the website of National Institute of Mental Health (Web site: http://www.nimh.nih.gov), from which the above information too has been condensed.