Bipolar Disorder (also known as manic depression), is a wretched debilitating condition that usurps a stable, enjoyable way of life by causing intense, long-lasting mood swings in two extreme directions: mania and depression. Evidence suggests that these mood swing are caused by chemicals in the brain becoming over-stimulated or under-stimulated, hence dramatically affecting a persons mood resulting in the two behavior extremes. It is genetically propagated and is in no way the result of failure to self-manage emotions.
Mania may cause a person to:
- Be more active than usual.
- Talk more than usual.
- Feel extremely happy or very irritable.
- Have difficulty concentrating because of having too many thoughts at once (racing thoughts)
- Be easily distracted by sights and sounds.
- Act impulsively or do reckless things, such as go on shopping sprees, drive recklessly
- Get into foolish business ventures, or have frequent, indiscriminate, or unsafe sex.
- Have a very high opinion of himself or herself (inflated self-esteem).
- Not need as much sleep as usual (feel rested after 3 hours of sleep).
Depression may cause a person to:
- Feel sad or anxious for a significant time.
- Have slowed thoughts and speech due to low energy.
- Not enjoy things he or she normally would.
- Have changes in eating and sleeping habits leading to too much or too little sleeping
- Have decreased interest in usual activities, including sex.
- Have suicidal thoughts.
- Feel hopeless or pessimistic.
- Have difficulty concentrating, remembering, and making decisions.
Types of Bipolar Disorder:
Bipolar 1. This is considered to be the standard form of the illness, and causes cyclical episodes of depression and mania. The depression may last a short time or may continue for months. The person may then have reprieve for some weeks or months, but then a manic episode emerges.
Bipolar 11. People with this type, experience less severe episodes of mania (hypomania), but experience more depressive episodes.
Rapid-cycling bipolar disorder. Here, the mood swings are the same as in the other subtypes of the disorder with a person still going from an episode of depression to an episode of mania, perhaps with a short time lapse between the two extremes. The only difference with this type being the rapid-cycling effect. A person will have at least four different episodes of the two mood extremes within a twelve month period.
It is possible to have bipolar with mixed symptoms making the disorder challenging to treat and very frustrating for the sufferer, friends and family. If one's daily functioning becomes impaired, it can also lead to hospitalization.
Symptoms of psychosis or panic attacks or a panic disorder may be experienced in addition to the bipolar disorder and these symptoms need to be treated also.
Bipolar Disorder in children can be confused with other childhood mental disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), alcohol or drug abuse problems or conduct disorder. It interferes with a child's ability to function in school, with friends, and at home.
Obsessive-compulsive or schizophrenia may also be present and these disorders need separate medications and be treated along with the bipolar.
People with bipolar disorder may find that their mood changes with different triggers, also called stressors. Not everyone's stressors are the same and individual stressors should be mapped and monitored.
Stessors May Include:
- Not having a regular sleep schedule.
- Misusing alcohol or drugs.
- Stopping your medicine.
- Starting medicines for depression (in some cases), or other medicine.
- Having thyroid problems and other medical conditions.
- Seasonal changes.
- Holidays.
- Illness.
- Disagreements with family or friends.
- Problems at work.
- The death of a loved one.
- Marriage.
- Starting college/university.
- Starting a new job.
After keeping a mood chart for a period of time, the person or their health care professional can isolate specific events which are triggering depressive episodes and balance can be promoted by changing the stressful behavior.
MEDICAL TREATMENT OF BIPOLAR.
Managing bipolar is the only way a sufferer with this chemical imbalance in the brain can begin to have any quality of life. It is possible to have a quality of life whilst living with bipolar disorder which was not at all possible a hundred or even fifty years ago. Sometimes people have to settle for the "least worst" option, as far as the preferred medication, but today people do not need to suffer intolerable pain or distress.
Pharmaceutical treatment (medication) comes in three main groups:
- Mood stabilizers
- Mood lifters
- Symptom stabilizers
A doctor or psychiatrist may assist in beginning a program of medication.
There are alternatives to conventional psychiatry's offerings and some of these modalities may include:
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Reiki
- Aromatherapy
- Homeopathy
- herbal remedies
- traditional Chinese medicine
- Chiropractic
- Utilizing the skills of a trained minister of religion
The use of synthetic sunlight for manic depression where there is a seasonal (i.e. light deficit) element.
We all need to maximize our well-being and minimize deficits and very often this does involve more than taking medicine! With the developments made during the last fifty years, it is absolutely possible to live turmoil free , especially if heed is taken to the underlying causes of distress.
