Bipolar Disorder Mental Illness

Bipolar Disorder is serious  mental illness that causes shifts in a person’s mood, energy, and ability to function. It is different from normal ups and downs that everyone goes through. It is also known as maniac-depressive illness, causing dramatic mood swings from overly “high” and/or irritable to sad and hopeless, and then back again, often with periods of normal mood in between. The periods of low and high are episodes of depression and mania. This form of bipolar disorder is known as  bipolar I disorder. Some people, however, never develop severe mania but instead experience milder episodes of hypomania that alternate with depression; this form of the illness is called bipolar II disorder. Extreme manic episodes can sometimes lead to psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations.

Based on the nature and severity of mood episodes experienced, the range of disorder  is often described as the bipolar spectrum. Genetic factors contribute substantially to the likelihood of developing bipolar disorder. A vedic astrologer can diagnose from an individual’s  horoscope the possibility of such suffering and the stage of life when it is to emerge. Here we discuss  the role of individual planets in contributing to this age-old mood disorder illness.

Grave mental disorders are to be feared if Mars, Saturn and Rahu throw powerful aspects on the Moon; Mercury and the 5th and 8th houses. Of course every normal human being is liable to some disturbing mental malady due to the influence of Mars or Saturn during a lifetime but it is only in the extreme case of mental derangement that the destructive effects are visible.

1. The Sun and the Moon represent complexes surrounding parents.
2. Mars represents complexes of hatred, anger, tension and peculiar psychic make-up.
3. Saturn represents fear complexes and experiences of anxiety and neuroses. Saturn is the censor and makes one’s conscience revolt against one’s unethical or unprincipled actions.
4. Rahu indicates complexes of a peculiar type to untie which will be a difficult task unless Jupiter or Venus is also involved.
5. Ketu‘s complexes arc of a two-fold nature—suicidal with malefics; and spiritual and psychic with benefics

Soul, Mind and Intelligence are governed by the Sun, the Moon and Mercury. The Sun also indicates the hereditary factors derived from the paternal side and the Moon hereditary factors derived from maternal ancestors. This has to be considered only in a relative sense. Mercury represents the oscillation of the mind between the subjective and objective factors. Reason, discrimination, thinking principle come under Mercury. It explains the conflict between the senses and the emotional urges. The Moon, as ruler of the mind in general, reveals the conflict between duty and self-interest. In identifying the occurrence of bipolar disorder, the vedic astrologer has to consider the interaction of these planetary influences. In our next blog on the topic, we will discuss the effect of planetary placement in the different houses and mutual aspects in a horoscope that leads to severe mood disorder.