Figure Your Trigger

It is said that there are several factors that contribute to the occurrence of a manic episode: a genetic predisposition, biochemical influences, stress, and a triggering event. There's not much we can do about our genes. We can influence our biochemicals if we keep taking the tablets. But if we can figure out what triggers our episodes we have an increased chance of avoiding them. I have had some success at recognizing what triggers my episodes and I believe this has helped limit the time I spend weaving baskets.

First the easy one, sleep. For me, sleep deprivation is probably the most certain trigger of a manic episode. However, it is hard to separate the chicken from the omelette, because a manic episode will itself cause loss of sleep. Frequently I have believed sleep to be no longer necessary as an episode takes hold of me. But loss of sleep has certainly led to the onset of a manic episode. A single night with difficulty getting to sleep is nothing unusual. However, two sleepless nights in a row and it is time to consider reaching for the medicine cabinet. And never, never ever, is it permissible to keep on working through the night.

The other triggers are not so easy to recognize. Studying hard was certainly one. The frequency of episodes during my undergraduate and graduate studies was markedly higher than during the years of regular employment. But simply avoiding study is neither practical nor a solution I was willing to accept. I never isolated it to any particular aspect of study. However, I found that straining to be creative in my graduate studies was much more dangerous than just getting on with the day-to-day experimental work. I also found that overstimulation from interaction with others at a conference could precipitate an episode.

Religious belief was a trigger for me. Religious belief and manic depression go together like a Boy Scout and a box of matches. They make an explosive mixture. By its very nature religion encourages a belief in the supernatural. Equally, by its very nature, manic depression causes the "supernatural" to occur with all but predictable regularity. A healthy human mind has a capacity for doublethink that permits a belief in the supernatural to coexist with a firm grasp on reality. Those of us whose grasp on reality is more tenuous will begin to loose touch with reality as an episode progresses. At such times it is a considerable liability to believe in the supernatural.

One of my favorites was to believe that I had supernatural powers, sometimes to the extent that I believed myself to be a god, at least for a couple of days. (Reality has a way of catching up with us minor deities rather quickly at such times.) More insidious, however, was the belief that I had received some form of spiritual healing. This happened several times. The big problem with this is that one is likely to interpret the euphoria at the onset of an episode as confirmation of the healing. The warning signs will then be totally ignored or given some other spiritual interpretation. The men in white coats must arrive before anything is done about the episode. Much weaving of baskets will follow.

There were other times when an episode just occurred without any discernable trigger. However, if you can come to recognize some of the events that trigger your episodes you have a better chance of spending less time weaving baskets.