Bipolar

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder. It causes a person to have cycles of extreme mood changes that go beyond normal ups and downs. A person with this disorder will have periods of feeling joyful, energized, and excited (called mania). These are followed by periods of feeling sad and depressed. For this reason, it’s also called manic depression.

Causes of Bipolar Disorder

The cause of bipolar disorder is not known. Experts agree many factors seem to play a role. This includes environmental, psychological, and genetic factors.

Bipolar disorder tends to run in families. Researchers are still trying to find genes that may be linked to it.

What are the Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder?

Each person may have different symptoms. The following are the most common symptoms:

Depressive symptoms may include:

  • Constant sad, anxious, or empty mood
  • Loss of interest in things that you once enjoyed, including sex
  • Feeling restless or irritable
  • Inability to focus, think, or make decisions
  • Low energy, fatigue, being slowed down
  • Keep having thoughts of death or suicide, wishing to die, or attempting suicide (Note: People with this symptom should get treatment right away)
  • Feeling worthless or hopeless
  • Feeling undue guilt
  • Changes in eating habits, eating too much or not enough
  • Changes in sleep patterns, such as fitful sleep, inability to sleep, waking up very early, or sleeping too much
  • Headaches, digestive problems, or chronic pain

Manic symptoms may include:

  • Inflated self-esteem
  • Need for less rest and sleep
  • Easily distracted or irritable
  • Racing thoughts
  • Physical agitation
  • Risky, aggressive, or destructive behavior
  • Talking a lot and talking fast
  • Excessive high or euphoric feelings (feeling overly happy)
  • Increased sex drive
  • Increased energy
  • Unusual poor judgment (for instance, buying sprees or sexual indiscretion)
  • Increased denial

How is bipolar disorder diagnosed?

To diagnose bipolar, your healthcare provider will ask about your symptoms. You may have both depressive and manic symptoms to a varying degree. The symptoms of bipolar disorder may look like other mental health conditions.

Always see a healthcare provider for a diagnosis. A diagnosis is made after a careful psychiatric exam and medical history done by a mental health professional.

How is bipolar disorder treated?

There is no cure for bipolar disorder, but treatment works well for many people. Treatment may include one or a combination of the following:

  • Medicine. Many different medicines are available for bipolar disorder. But, it often takes 4 to 6 weeks for anti-depressants to have a full effect. So it’s important to keep taking the medicine, even if it doesn’t seem to be working at first. It’s also important to talk to your healthcare provider before stopping. Some people have to switch medicines or add medicines to get results.
  • Therapy. This is most often cognitive-behavioral or interpersonal therapy. It focuses on changing the distorted views you have of yourself and your environment. It works to improve your interpersonal relationship skills. It also helps you identify stressors and learn how to manage them.
  • Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This treatment may be used in people with severe, life-threatening depression that has not responded to medicines. A brief electrical current is passed through the brain, triggering a mild seizure. For unknown reasons, this helps restore the normal balance of chemicals in the brain and ease symptoms.

In most cases, consistent, long-term treatment is needed to stabilize the mood swings.

Self-care

You can also take steps to help yourself. During periods of depression, consider the following:

  • Get help. If you think you may be depressed, see a health professional right away.
  • Set realistic goals and don’t take on too much.
  • Break large tasks into small ones. Set priorities and do what you can as you can.
  • Try to be with other people and confide in someone. This is usually better than being alone and secretive.
  • Do things that make you feel better. Going to a movie, gardening, or taking part in religious, social, or other activities may help. Doing something nice for someone else can also help you feel better.
  • Get regular exercise.
  • Expect your mood to get better slowly, not right away. Feeling better takes time.
  • Eat healthy, well-balanced meals.
  • Avoid alcohol and drugs. These can make depression worse.
  • It’s best to postpone big decisions until the depression has lifted. Before making big decisions (changing jobs, getting married or divorced), discuss it with others who know you well and have a more objective view of your situation.
  • People don’t snap out of a depression. But with treatment they can feel a little better day by day.
  • Try to be patient and focus on the positives. This may help replace the negative thinking that is part of the depression, and the negative thoughts will disappear as your depression responds to treatment.