What Is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder, formerly known as Manic depression, is a mental health illness that results in significant mood swings, including emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression).
When you experience depression, you may feel depressed or hopeless and stop enjoying or being interested in most activities. You might experience mania or hypomania (a less severe form of mania), which can make you feel euphoric, energized, or excessively irritable. The ability to think clearly, energy levels, activities, judgment, and behavior can all be impacted by these mood changes.
Typically, bipolar disorder is discovered in the late adolescent or early adult years. Bipolar symptoms can occasionally manifest in young people. Bipolar disorder typically necessitates lifetime therapy, despite the fact that the symptoms can change over time. People can improve their quality of life and control their symptoms by adhering to a prescribed treatment plan.
TYPES OF BIPOLAR DISORDER
Bipolar disorder comes in three forms. Visible changes in mood, energy, and activity levels are present in all three categories. These moods range from highly “down,” sad, indifferent, or hopeless times to extremely “up,” euphoric, impatient, or energized behavior (known as manic episodes) or “depressive episodes for hopeless times to extremely “up,” euphoric, impatient, or energized behavior (known as manic episodes) or “depressive episodes.” Hypomanic episodes are less intense than manic episodes.
Bipolar 1 Disorder – Manic episodes that persist for at least seven days (most of the day, virtually every day) or manic symptoms that are so severe that the person needs emergency hospital care are both indications of bipolar 1 disorder. Depressive episodes frequently happen too, lasting at least two weeks. A mixed episode of depression is one in which a person has both manic and depressive symptoms at the same time.
Bipolar 2 disorder – The pattern of depressive and hypomanic episodes that characterizes bipolar 2 disorder is less severe than the manic episodes that do so in bipolar I disease.
Cyclothymic disorder – It is commonly known as cyclothymia, is characterized by recurrent hypomanic and depressive symptoms that are insufficiently severe or brief to be classified as hypomanic or depressive episodes.
What are the signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder?
The severity of the manic and depressive periods might vary from person to person and within a single person over time.
Manic episode symptoms and signs
Some people with bipolar disorder will have manic or hypomanic episodes on a regular basis, while others will only have them on rare occasions.
Manic episode warning signs and symptoms include:
- Excessive joy, optimism, and excitement
- Mood swings that are abrupt and intense, such as swinging from being happy to being furious and hostile.
- Speaking quickly and thinking quickly
- Reduced need for sleep and more energy
- Heightened impulsivity and bad judgment, such as quitting your job unexpectedly.
- Making ambitious but unrealistic plans
- Reckless and risky behaviour, such as abusing drugs and alcohol and engaging in unprotected or dangerous sex.
- Restlessness.
- Feeling unusually significant, brilliant, or powerful.
- Delusions and hallucinations (in the most severe manic episodes) characterize psychosis.
Depressive episode symptoms and signs
Similar to major depressive illness, bipolar disorder exhibits the same symptoms during depressive episodes. They consist of:
- Overwhelming sadness
- Low energy and exhaustion
- A lack of drive.
- Feelings of inadequacy or despair.
- Loss of enjoyment of activities that you once found enjoyable.
- Having trouble focusing and making decisions.
- Crying so hard.
- Irritability.
- A greater desire to sleep.
- Insomnia or sleeping too much.
- A shift in appetite that results in weight gain or decrease.
What is the treatment for bipolar disorder?
Many people, even those with the most severe forms of bipolar disease, can benefit from treatment. The following therapies are frequently combined into an efficient treatment plan:
- Therapies
- Medications.
- Self-management techniques, such as education and recognising the early signs of an episode or potential triggers.
- Beneficial lifestyle practices, including yoga, meditation, and exercise. These can supplement but not replace treatment.
- Other treatments, such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), may be used in situations where medicine is ineffective or where prompt symptom control is required to avert injury.
Which therapies are employed in the treatment of bipolar disorder?
Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy, often known as “talk therapy,” can be a useful component of a bipolar illness patient’s treatment regimen. The term “psychotherapy” refers to a range of therapeutic methods intended to assist a patient in recognizing and altering distressing feelings, ideas, and actions. It can offer assistance, knowledge, and direction to those who suffer with bipolar disorder as well as to their families.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy: An effective treatment for depression is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and CBT that has been modified to address insomnia can be especially beneficial when used to treat bipolar depression.
Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy (IPSRT): By comprehending and utilizing your biological and social rhythms, this therapy aims to help you enhance your mood. IPSRT is a helpful therapy for people with mood disorders, including bipolar illness. It places a focus on methods to manage stressful life events, increase medication adherence, and lessen disruptions in social rhythms (day-to-day differences in habitual behaviors). The techniques you learn in IPSRT enable you to defend yourself against the emergence of manic or depressive episodes in the future.
Family-focused therapies: Both adults and children with bipolar disorder and their caregivers may benefit from this type of therapy. Your loved ones will attend therapy sessions with you that include psychoeducation about bipolar disorder, training in improving communication, and instruction in problem-solving techniques.
There are various forms of treatment for bipolar disorder, including:
Medication are used as following:
Mood-stabilizing: drugs are generally required to treat manic or hypomanic episodes. Lithium (Lithobid), valproic acid (Depakene), divalproex sodium (Depakote), carbamazepine (Tegretol, Equetro, and others), and lamotrigine are a few examples of mood stabilizers (Lamictal).
Antipsychotics: An antipsychotic drug, such as olanzapine (Zyprexa), risperidone (Risperdal), quetiapine (Seroquel), aripiprazole (Abilify), ziprasidone (Geodon), lurasidone (Latuda), or asenapine (Saphris), may be added if symptoms of depression or mania continue despite treatment with other medications. Some of these drugs may be prescribed by your doctor either alone or in combination with a mood stabilizer.
Antidepressants: To help you manage depression, your doctor might prescribe an antidepressant. An antidepressant is typically administered in combination with a mood stabilizer or antipsychotic since it can occasionally provoke a manic episode.
Antidepressant-antipsychotic: Fluoxetine, an antidepressant, and olanzapine, an antipsychotic, are combined in Symbyax. It serves as a mood stabilizer and a therapy for depression.
Anxiety medication: Drugs that reduce anxiety Benzodiazepines are often only taken temporarily, however they may reduce anxiety and enhance sleep.
Overview:
Bipolar disorder is a chronic condition. However, continued, long-term treatment, such as medication and talk therapy, can help you control your symptoms and give you the ability to lead a healthy life. To keep an eye on your treatment plan and symptoms, it’s crucial to visit your healthcare team frequently. Know that your loved ones and healthcare professionals are there to help you.