How Do We Wisely Use the Past?

There is one thing every person has in common - we cannot change our past.   Many people feel shadowed by their unhappy past and try hard to minimize it, justify it, use it as an excuse for poor choices, or repress it completely.    Others have had blessing upon blessing and are well-equipped to handle life's challenges.   

People who fall into the latter group, no matter how kind life has been, still do not escape unscathed.   Everyone has hurts and pains to some degree, right?    Disappointments, grudges, regrets, grief, failures, heartbreaks, guilt, feeling misjudged, etc.    When someone uses phrases like "raw deal", "hard luck", "tough break", "hot water", "Catch-22" and so forth we can relate since we have "been there" emotionally and psychologically.    

So are the injuries of the past an enemy that keeps us enslaved or can we regain lost ground and come out - not necessarily completely uninjured - but more resilient, more perceptive, and a lot wiser?  

Timothy Keller offers the following prayer, "Lord, you are the ultimate teacher of wisdom.  You sat with your disciples and taught them in parables.  Now help me learn wisdom from my experience."

Proverbs 4:25-26 advises, "Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.  Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways." 

Although we cannot forget the past completely, it is unwise to stay "stuck" in it.   Feelings of resentment and lack of forgiveness are understandable at times, but we must let go of the safety rails (e.g. self-sufficiency, substance abuse, control issues) and surrender to God.  Safety rails may feel safe out of their familiarity; however, they are not really safe and never lead us to a place of security.   

God will take us down a path toward healing and discernment when we let go.  That emotional energy has to go somewhere and since we cannot change history we can only move forward.   The hurt needs a legitimate outlet that is future-focused and filled with hope.  In turn, we can become empowered to turn the "bad" of the past into a force for good toward others and a source of growth for ourselves.    

What safety rails are you hanging onto?   

















Source:  God's Wisdom for Navigating Life by Timothy Keller

Bipolar I and Bipolar II Disorders

Bipolar Disorder is a commonly misunderstood, and misdiagnosed, mental health disorder.  According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, about 2.6% of the US population has been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.   It is often difficult to diagnose due to its symptoms overlapping with the effects of substance abuse, certain medications, and other mental health diagnoses (e.g. ADHD, schizophrenia).   Additionally, there are four types of BD:  Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Cyclothymia, and Bipolar Unspecified.   

This post will focus on the first two types.      

According to the DSM-V, this is the breakdown on Bipolar I and Bipolar II criteria, categorized by letter.   

Bipolar I

Bipolar I is characterized by manic symptoms of abnormally elevated/energized mood or irritability that must last at least one week nearly every day (A).  For a person experiencing elevated/hyper mood to meet full criteria for Bipolar I, they must meet three of these seven symptoms (B):  

grandiosity (unrealistic beliefs about oneself)

less need for sleep without feeling tired

an unusual level of talkativeness for the person’s personality

high distractibility

flight of ideas (random, racing thoughts)

increased goal-directed activity (e.g. excessive planning, sexual promiscuity) or purposeless agitation

impulsive behaviors (e.g. spending, high risk sexual behaviors)

If a person’s mood is more irritable than elevated/energized, four of the above criteria must be met.  

Additionally, the manic episode must cause significant social or occupational dysfunction OR psychotic symptoms are present OR hospitalization is required to prevent harm to self or others.   (C)

These symptoms must not be caused by the effects of a substance, medication, or medical condition (D).   

Although common with Bipolar I, a major depressive episode is not required to be diagnosed with Bipolar I.   

Bipolar II

Bipolar II is similar but characterized by a hypomanic episode (See below for criteria).   Also criteria for at least one major depressive episode must been met (A).   

The person has never had a manic episode (B).

The hypomanic episode and the major depressive episode are not better explained by another disorder (e.g. schizophrenia, other psychotic disorder, delusional disorder) (C).

Depression and/or alternating moods between depressed mood and hypomania cause significant distress (not severe) in the person's life socially and/or occupationally (D).  

Criteria for a hypomanic episode:  

A hypomanic episode must last at least 4 days and the person's mood must be abnormally elevated or irritable nearly all day, every day (A). 

The category B requirements are the same as listed above for manic episode (B).  

The changes must be out of character for the individual (C).  

The changes must be noticeable to others (D).  

The effect of a hypomanic episode on a person socially or occupationally is not severe and there is no psychosis or need for hospitalization (E).   

The episode is not caused by use of a substance or another medical condition (F).  

Major Depressive Episode

A major depressive episode must occur during a 2 week period of time.   Five of the following symptoms must be present during this period (A):

Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day (this can be a feeling of emptiness or hopelessness).

Significant decrease in activities or interests 

Weight loss or gain due to appetite change

Insomnia or sleeping too much

Physical agitation or retardation

Loss of energy/fatigue

A feeling of worthlessness or excessive guilt

Decreased ability to make decisions or concentrate

Recurring thoughts of death or suicidal ideation (without a specific plan)

Additionally, these symptoms must have a significantly negative affect on a person socially, occupationally, or in any other major area of a person’s life (B).  

These symptoms must not be caused by another medical condition or by the effects of a substance (C).  

Bipolar diagnoses become more complicated when severity, various features such as onset, and other types disorders in this category are factored in, but these are the basics and I hope its helpful. 

Sources:  

NAMI. (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2017, from https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Bipolar-Disorder

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and 

     statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: 

     Author.