Bipolar Disorder: The Angel and the Devil TogetherOnce upon a time there was a family; however, it was not a happy family. The mother was ill even though she did not believe she was ill. He scares his family with his explosive personality. He yelled at his kids, pushing them to their limits and beyond to do their best. Her husband constantly begged her to go to the doctors and take her medicine. She never listened to him. One day, when the husband returned from work, he discovered that his wife had sent letters to neighbors, friends, their children's teachers, and even their family accusing them of crimes they had not committed. The mother constantly told her children that their grandparents, uncles, and aunts were horrible people and could not be trusted. Eventually the father divorced his wife and took the children with him, leaving the mother alone with nothing. The mother was mentally ill due to bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a mental illness that causes changes in mood, energy, activity levels, and ability to carry out daily activities (National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)). Bipolar disorder, as mentioned above, affects family and social relationships by changing the individual's view of himself, his family or friends. For starters, many people don't understand what bipolar disorder is. It is commonly understood as mood changes; however, it is much more than that. First and foremost, bipolar disorder is a mental illness that affects the individual emotionally. According to an article “Bipolar Disorder” written by WebMD, “Bipolar disorder is a long-term chemical imbalance that causes rapid changes in mood and behavior.” It is more fulfilling to learn... middle of paper... A. Emotional illness in your family: help your relative, help yourself. New York: Macmillan, 1989. Print."Hotline Information." Bipolar disorder statistics. Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, n.d. Web. May 12, 2014."How to Help Someone with Bipolar Disorder." WebMD. WebMD, 01 January 0000. Web. 13 May 2014.Morris, Tammy Lee. "Living with Bipolar Disorder: A Family Member's Perspective." Yahoo Contributor Network. Np, April 21, 2009. Web. May 13, 2014. Nauert, Rick. "» Bipolar Disorder Affects Daily Life - Psych Central News." Psych Central.com. Np, April 20, 2009. Web. May 11, 2014. Sherman, Beverly “Email Interview” May 13, 2014. Tartakovsky, Margarita. "» 4 of the biggest barriers in bipolar disorder - Psych Central." Psych Central.com. Np, nd Web. May 13, 2014.Yang, Ying-Tung. "Bipolar disorder." Google Docs. Np, 02 May 2014. Web. 13 May 2014.