World Bipolar Day is observed each year on March 30, on the occasion of Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh’s birthday. According to the International Bipolar Foundation (IBPF), the vision of World Bipolar Day (WBD) is to “bring world awareness to bipolar conditions and to eliminate social stigma”.
As mentioned earlier, WBD celebrates the birthday of Van Gogh, who was posthumously diagnosed as having a bipolar condition, after episodes from his troubled life came to the fore. The artist even cut off his own ear and came to be known as the legendary ‘tortured artist’, after he had an altercation with fellow artist Paul Gauguin.
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He died by suicide in the year 1890, at the age of 37.
Tomorrow is #WorldBipolarDay! We cannot wait to connect and spread awareness with you all through the power of social media. Make sure to recognize and celebrate the strength and bravery of people living with bipolar disorder with the hashtag #BipolarTogether! pic.twitter.com/0AgFCDdhpB
— International Bipolar Foundation (@IntlBipolar) March 29, 2022
This year’s World Bipolar Day theme is #BipolarTogether. The IBPF states that a recent survey found 77 per cent of bipolar-I participants said living with the disorder made them feel “isolated or alone”, and 81 per cent said they felt like no one understands what they go through.
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While mental health issues continue to be stigmatised, the aim is to help those living with bipolar disorder to “connect with others” and get “assistance in gaining access to valuable resources and relationships that can improve their lives through treatment”.
Today marks #WorldBipolarDay. Did you know that there are several Medications, Psychotherapy, Support Groups, self-help tips and information available to help you manage everyday? Click here https://t.co/OJXIZRKguv to check out our #WorldBipolarDay toolkit. #bipolartogether pic.twitter.com/U46DcxpI7F
— SADAG (@TheSADAG) March 30, 2022
The WBD is an “initiative of International Bipolar Foundation (IBPF) in collaboration with the Asian Network of Bipolar Disorder (ANBD) and the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD)”.
Bipolar disorder involves mood changes. (Photo: Getty/Thinkstock)
Dr Ekta Soni, chief clinical psychologist, Apollo Indraprastha Hospital, had previously told indianexpress.com that bipolarity is characterised by mood swings.
There are two phases to it: bipolar mania and the depressive phase. In the mania phase, a person is generally highly overactive. They do not sleep much. Even if they have slept for one to two hours, they feel fresh. There is restlessness, and the inability to sit in one place.
“But at the same time, there are also situations where you are irritable, and can get very angry at the slightest things,” the doctor said.
“The other phase is the depressive phase where your mood is low. You don’t feel like doing anything. There is not much interest in anything and you do not want to get out of bed. You might oversleep, and not feel like doing daily activities like taking a bath and maintaining personal hygiene. One of the cardinal symptoms is sleep.”
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