Bipolar I Cure Rate?

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    • Bipolar Illness and Capacity for Intimacy by Vick Kelly, 8/4/96
      
      

Has anybody seen any cure rates for the bipolar disorder? What is a complete cure, anyway?

I know the prognosis is generally not very good. However, it does happen. I know a creative man who had bipolar I for about two years, was very suicidal and was hospitalized once for a couple of months (after which time he insisted to go home to complete the healing process). He was on medication for about three years altogether and has been cured and without meds for 13 years now. He read everything he could about his disorder (which was very much discouraged by the hospital staff). He learned to understand what signs to watch in his life. He is no longer a workaholic, but still a highly productive and well-liked manager at his work place. He acknowledges his limits, and lives accordingly. He is grateful to be alive, and lives a rich and happy life.

What is the physiological mechanism behind this kind of cure? I wish we could see more of these happy endings!

• Cure? by Don Nathanson, 1/11/99