Extreme Mood Swings in Winesburg

            “Bipolar is like being on a roller coaster ride.” (Gluck)

            Bipolar disorder or manic depression causes people to experience extreme highs and extreme lows in mood and attitude according to Mayo Clinic. People diagnosed typically experience severe mood swings where they encounter moments of extreme happiness and extreme depression. These mood swings can come at random times and are not typically triggered by a specific event or action. Bipolar disorder not only affects your mood, attitude and behavior but can also affects sleep, judgement and thinking skills. This mental health condition is lifelong and unpreventable but it can be managed by treatment which includes medication and usually counseling. ("Bipolar Disorder - Symptoms And Causes - Mayo Clinic") While, these violent mood swings cannot be avoided and is not the person’s fault suffering from bipolar disorder it can still affect those around them. This reaction to a behavior similar to bipolar disorder can be seen in the story Mother from Winesburg, Ohio.

            Throughout the chapter Elizabeth Willard, the mother of George Willard is described as a weak and sick woman that held back her husband from getting out of the small town which he now resents her for. She thinks of her once “girlhood dream” but knows that it is no longer a reality. Most of the chapter she behaves as a person that has hit an extreme low of depression. She’s sick and she barely talks to her husband or son and when she does it is awkward. By the end of story, she is very angry and wants to kill her husband.

“The weakness had passed from her body as by a miracle and she stepped boldly along.” (Anderson, Mother)

            This extreme mood swing is similar to what people diagnosed with bipolar disorder experience. The main difference between Elizabeth Willard’s mood swings and bipolar disorder mood swings is that Elizabeth’s was triggered by a specific event.

Anderson, Sherwood. Winesburg, Ohio. Electron Press, 2017. Print.

"Bipolar Disorder - Symptoms And Causes - Mayo Clinic." Mayoclinic.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 15     Oct. 2017.

Gluck, Samantha. "Quotes On Bipolar - Quotes - Insight | Healthyplace." HealthyPlace. N.p.,        2017. Web. 15 Oct. 2017.