The highs and the lows

World bipolar day is celebrated annually on March 30 – the date chosen to mark the birthday of painter Vincent Van Gogh who was posthumously diagnosed as probably having bipolar disorder. Yet for all the brouhaha surrounding the event, the condition itself remains largely hidden from the public eye, with sufferers often stigmatised and forced to stay on the perimeters of society.

Kriangkraimas Pojanasoonthorn, or DJ Kendo as he is better known, is determined to bring bipolar disorder out into the open and recently launched his book “Khon Song Lok”, which explains, not without humour, how he has been battling the condition.

A popular disc jockey with a Thai country folk music radio station, Kendo is known for being funny, sharp-tongued and somewhat weird. In the entertainment business for more than 10 years, he made his name as a moderator with the hit television show “Joh Jai” and was also a news anchor for Channel 11. But his overconfident, sometimes abrasive personality, not yet diagnosed as a symptom of bipolar disorder, put paid to his burgeoning career and soon he descended into a deep depression, even making a suicide attempt.

Formerly called manic depression, bipolar disorder is often mistaken for schizophrenia. In fact, it is a mental illness that causes extreme mood swings with emotional highs – mania or hypomania – and lows – depression. 

“When patients experience emotional highs, they are often 150-per-cent overconfident. They feel euphoric and full of energy. Most patients and the people around them tend not to realise what is going on or that they are ill because they can still cope with their lives, with learning or working. Some people even do better in their jobs with salespersons often achieving excellent sales figures. That’s because they never feel really tired. They can talk to customers non-stop. Kendo, for example, is still able to manage his radio station but his hypomania becomes disruptive. These signs are harder for people to see in themselves, and it is often up to friends or loved ones to encourage them to get help. Without proper treatment, hypomania often becomes worse, and the patient can become severely manic or depressed,” says Dr Jitarin Jaidee, a psychiatrist with the Bangkok Mental Health Rehabilitation and Recovery Centre. 

“Once the mood shifts in the other direction, they become depressed, they may feel really sad or hopeless and lose interest or pleasure in most activities. This is generally when they seek help.”

According to Jitarin, in most cases bipolar disorder can be controlled with medications and psychological counselling. It is considered a medical condition just like diabetes and heart disease and discipline is required in following the medication regime. It is currently estimated that five per cent of the global population suffers from bipolar disorder. In Thailand the figure runs at about 1.2 percent or as many as 700,000 individuals. The majority starts showing symptoms between the ages of 18 and 25. 

While environmental factors are increasingly being blamed for the condition, genetics also play a major role. The risk of bipolar disorder is nearly 10 times higher in first-degree relatives, such as a parent or sibling. Other factors include periods of high stress, drug or alcohol abuse, major life changes, such as the death of a loved one, and physical health problems such as thyroid disease.

Kendo says his sister was the first in the family to be diagnosed. “She went from being a very polite and well-mannered girl to a sex siren. She spoke very fast, all the time, and didn’t sleep. Then came the day when she announced she had a very bad headache and wanted to go to Srithanya Psychiatric Hospital but not for herself but for our mother. That was my introduction to bipolar disorder though I never thought that it would happen to me as well,” he says,

“I was working very hard at the time and seemed to have plenty of ideas and projects in my head. I was over confident and stopped caring. That’s probably why I am the DJ who hosts the most radio programmes – 20 of them,” he laughs. 

“I also dressed up in the craziest outfits. I thought I was fashionable. At one time, I fantasised that I was a grandmother and went out on the street dressed like one! The trigger point came when I really felt down and wanted to die. Luckily, my brother found me in time.” 

Kendo’s book explains the illness in detail but in a humorous way that makes it easy to read. He also cites his friends and fellow sufferers as cases in point, the famous being former international model, Rojana “Yui” Petchkamhaeng. 

Thai-Danish actress and model Alexandra Stybert also turned out for the book launch and says she too suffers from bipolar disorder. 

“At first I thought I had insomnia. I would work for more than 10 hours and did not sleep until 6am. Fortunately, I love art and used to spend my entire nights painting. My doctor thinks I have bipolar disorder because of a thyroid problem. I cope with it by spending more time meditating, being mindful and always check my emotions,” she says. 

Although bipolar disorder is a disruptive, long-term condition, moods can be kept in check with treatment. The exact symptoms vary from person to another and depend on individual interests. They include over-spending of money, being aggressive, sexually hyperactive, as well as creative. Whatever the path the person follows, it will tend to be over the top. 

Kendo’s book helpfully includes a bipolar disorder checklist at the back. 

Left untreated, bipolar disorder can result in serious problems that affect every area of life – legal, financial, relational – and can lead to drug and alcohol use. The most dangerous by-product is suicide or repeated suicide attempts. 

“The symptom that distinguishes bipolar disorder from other types of mental illness is not only the manic phase but also being impulsive. A normal depressed patient might stay in bed but a bipolar patient will feel much more down, sometimes two or three times more. And because they are also impulsive, suicide attempts are common and often successful,” says Jitarin. 

Kendo says he’s deeply grateful both to his psychiatrist, Apisamai Srirangsan, and his mother, who has shown him nothing but unconditional love and care. 

“If you think a loved one is experiencing the symptoms of bipolar disorder, I can only ask that you are understanding and spare the time to get the person you love back,” he says.

“And if you think you might have bipolar disorder, stare at it straight in the eye and says ‘Hey! This is not me. It’s bipolar. Fight it!’”

 

 CONQUERING THE ODDS