Signs Of Bipolar Syndrome
Bipolar syndrome or what is popularly known as manic-depression syndrome is a psychiatric disorder that greatly affects the mood of the person. The person with bipolar disorder usually experiences severe mood swings and these extreme mood swings affect how the individual leads his or her life. Alternating high and low emotions such as undergoing clinical depression one moment to being extremely excited the next is a good example of bipolar disorder. If this condition is not treated, it can lead to serious consequences to the entire family and may even result in suicide.
What Is Bipolar Disorder And How Do You Treat It?
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a diagnostic category describing a class of mood disorders where the person experiences states or episodes of depression and/or mania, hypomania, and/or mixed states. Left untreated, it is a severely disabling psychiatric condition.
The difference between bipolar disorder and major depression is that bipolar disorder involves “energized” or “activated” mood states in addition to depressed mood states. The duration and intensity of mood states varies widely among people with the illness.
Fluctuating from one mood state to another is called “cycling” or having mood swings. Mood swings cause impairment not only in one’s mood, but also in one’s energy level, sleep pattern, activity level, social rhythms and thinking abilities. Many people become fully disabled, for some period of time, after being diagnosed, and during this time may have great difficulty functioning.
The vast majority of people diagnosed with suffer from depression. In fact, there is at least a 3 to 1 ratio of time spent depressed versus time spent in a normal mood or hypomanic or manic during the course of the bipolar I subtype of the illness. People with the bipolar II subtype remain depressed for substantially longer. Up to 37 times longer than bipolar I.
A 2003 study by Robert Hirschfeld, M.D., of the University of Texas, Galveston found bipolar patients fared worse in their depressions than unipolar patients.
In terms of disability, lost years of productivity and potential for suicide, bipolar depression is now recognized as the most insidious aspect of the illness.
Severe depression may be accompanied by symptoms of psychosis. These symptoms include hallucinations and delusions. They may also suffer from paranoid thoughts of being persecuted or monitored by some powerful entity such as the government or a hostile force.
Intense and unusual religious beliefs may also be present, such as patients’ strong insistence that they have a God-given role to play in the world, a great and historic mission to accomplish, or even that they possess supernatural powers. Delusions in a depression may be far more distressing, sometimes taking the form of intense guilt for supposed wrongs that the patient believes he or she has inflicted on others.
Treatment for Bipolar Disorder
Currently bipolar disorder cannot be cured but it can be managed. The emphasis of treatment is on effective management of the long-term course of the illness, which can involve treatment of emergent symptoms. Treatment methods include pharmacological and psychological techniques.
A variety of medications are used to treat bipolar disorder. Most people with bipolar disorder require combinations of medications.
Relapse of Bipolar Disorder
Even when on medication, some people may still experience weaker episodes or have a complete manic or depressive episode. The following behaviors can lead to depressive or manic relapse:
* Discontinuing or lowering one’s dose of medication without consulting one’s physician.
* Being under or over medicated. Generally, taking a lower dosage of a mood stabilizer can lead to relapse into mania. Taking a lower dosage of an antidepressant, may cause the patient to relapse into depression, while higher doses can cause destabilization into mixed-states or mania.
* Taking other psychotropic or recreational drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, or heroin. These can cause the condition to worsen.
* An inconsistent sleep schedule can destabilize the illness. Too much sleep can lead to depression, while too little sleep can lead to mixed states or mania.
* Excessive amounts of caffeine can cause destabilization of mood toward irritability, dysphoria and mania.
* Inadequate stress management and poor lifestyle choices. If unmedicated, excessive stress can cause the individual to relapse. Medication raises the stress threshold somewhat, but too much stress still causes relapse.
Disclaimer
The information presented here should not be interpreted as medical advice. If you or someone you know is suffers from a bipolar disorder, please seek professional medical advice for the latest treatment options.
Permission is granted to reprint this article as long as no changes are made, and the entire resource box is included.
This article is Copyright © 2006, Heather Colman. Find more Bipolar Disorder resources at bipolar-disorder-press.info.
14 Basic Bipolar Disorder Facts Everybody Must Know
In the absence of research and development many medical ailments were earlier treated as incurable mammoths. Bipolar Disorder is one among them.
Earlier the individuals suffering with this kind of disorder was often regarded as a ‘very moody person’ or in extreme cases the family wrote them off saying that they have become insane. Later on the scientists made us realize that this disorder is a – Manic Depression, also known by the name of – Bipolar Disorder.
Though this disease is not new, along with the name many other things regarding this disease are quite new like the help we can lend to such patients. As its effects can be very wide spread and deadly, the treatment is as crucial.
Some basic facts regarding Bipolar Disorder or Manic Depression are as follows:
1. As the name is withdrawn rightly, the disorder has two key phases – mania and depression. All the symptoms, ailments and effects of this disorder primarily belong to these two aspects.
2. This disorder is found equally among men and women.
3. Out of the world’s total population, around 1% suffers with the bipolar disorder.
4. Mania is found in two main divisions: hypo mania & full-blown mania.
5. Hypomania is a state where the individual possesses quite intense energy & is able to yield unusually high productivity. Ones who remain until this stage turn out to be great salesmen and high powered businessmen. Yet, the danger remains as many of the hypo-maniacs are just of the verge of being full blown maniacs.
6. The full-blown maniacs’ actions are rather devastating. Individuals suffering with bipolar disorder often become subject to the full-blown mania where they start making unnecessary moves in their business. Their actions yield far more losses than benefits, they themselves are never able to note this.
7. Patients of bipolar disorder almost never consider the results of their actions. They would spend money just like anything unconsciously. The money that they might have saved for some basic necessity for home or business, they might land up pending it in something just not required. They would sign the cheques irrespective of the fact that there is money in the account or not.
8. Such patients often become too generous and gift away their treasured items or things that they just can not afford to give away. Though, later they also regret their actions.
9. In an acute manic state the bipolar disorder can be characterized by overly gregariousness of the individual. They become extra ordinarily outgoing and do not realize whether their company is good or bad. This could be quite dangerous as getting in tough with some unwanted and unethical people can also land up in several irreversible problems such as sexual exploits, henceforth pregnancy, sexual diseases, or hampered relationships.
10. In extreme cases the disease suffering with bipolar disorder lands up in a phase of psychosis. This is the time when the patient has bizarre thoughts, like delusions and hallucinations. At this time the patient looses the senses of his/her immediate environment and is not able to make out the difference between realism & hallucinations. So he /she become so vulnerable that they can not even save themselves from natural calamities.
11. Often the mania cases land up to a phase of depression. Such individuals seclude themselves from their loved ones & acquaintances and many a times become bed-ridden for days together. Their sleep, appetite, energy level, etc. everything gets deeply effected.
12. One of the major dangers in bipolar disorder when the person goes in to depression is that they become suicidal. Hence, when the patient is in the phase of depression he/she must be guarded thoroughly.
13. Many adults & teenagers try to cope up with their bipolar disorder with other prolonged diseases like alcohol and drugs. Such cases are medically termed as – dual diagnosis. Such addictions complicate the patients’ condition and make thee treatment rather more difficult. However, with the changing scenario of our society this has almost become a common factor.
14. While individuals dealing with bipolar disorder have a lot many problems to handle, they can be optimistic due to the fact that several ways have been worked out for them to get cured and get a hold on themselves, like medications, therapies, routines, etc.
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