Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that makes a person’s energy, mood, and activity levels change a lot. People with bipolar disorder usually have times when they feel extremely happy and energetic, called mania, and other times when they feel very sad and low, called depression.
This condition used to be called manic depression. It may have a big impact on a person’s everyday life, but the effects can be different for each person. With the right treatment and assistance, many individuals alongside bipolar disorder can lead full and dynamic lives.
Most people start showing symptoms of bipolar disorder about the age of 25, but it can also start in the teenage years. It can affect anyone, no matter their gender.
What is bipolar disorder?
As stated by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, about 2.8% of people in the U.S. have bipolar disorder. This is a mental health condition that leads major changes in a person’s concentration, activity levels, energy, and mood.
The National Institute of Mental Health explains that the actual signs of bipolar disorder include periods of high mood (mania) and low mood (depression).
People with bipolar disorder can have changes in sleep patterns, energy levels, and ability to focus. These changes can seriously affect their behavior, relationships, work, and other parts of life.
Everyone has mood changes sometimes, but the mood changes in bipolar disorder are much more acute. Other symptoms can happen too. Some individuals alongside bipolar disorder experience psychosis, which includes:
- Delusions: Strong beliefs that are not based in reality.
- Hallucinations: Seeing or hearing things that aren’t there.
- Paranoia: Feeling overly suspicious or fearful.
Between these mood episodes, an individual’s mood can be stable for several months or even years, particularly if they stick to their treatment plan.
Medication assists many individuals with bipolar disorder to work, study, and live fulfilling lives. However, when people start to feel good, they might stop consuming their medication, which can cause symptoms to come back.
During a high mood, people with bipolar disorder might feel very good. They may become more talkative, sociable, and creative. However, these elevated moods don’t usually last. Even when they do, it can be hard to keep focused or follow along with plans.
Symptoms
As stated by the NAMI, the symptoms of bipolar disorder can vary widely from person to person. Some individuals may experience episodes that last some days or weeks. In between these episodes, they often have long periods without any symptoms. Others may go through “highs” and “lows” either simultaneously or in rapid sequence. When these mood events happen at the same time, it is called a mixed state. As long as they occur in rapid succession, it is called as rapid cycling.
Hypomania or Mania
Hypomania and Mania are periods of elevated mood, with mania being more acute than hypomania. Signs can involve an increase in activity and energy, restlessness, and an excessively good, euphoric mood. People may also experience racing talking, thoughts, jumping, quickly from one to another, rigid irritability, trouble in concentrating, a reduced need for sleep, unreal beliefs in their own abilities, heightened sex drive, and engaging in harmful or dangerous behaviors. Some may deny that anything is wrong. During these episodes, individuals might expend a lot of money, utilize recreational drugs, drink alcohol, and participate in dangerous activities.
Depressive Symptoms
During a depressive episode, an individual may feel anxiety and sadness. Modifications in sleep patterns are common, such as trouble in falling asleep, waking up fastly, or sleeping too much. They might experience restlessness, have trouble concentrating and making decisions, talk slowly, find it difficult to speak, and become forgetful. They may lose interest in activities they usually enjoy, feel unable to finish simple works, and experience feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness. In several cases, they may have suicidal opinion or behaviors.
Psychosis
If a depressive or manic episode becomes very acute, an individual might feel signs of psychosis, which means they have difficulty distinguishing between reality and fantasy. More than 50 out of 100 individuals alongside bipolar disorder experience signs of psychosis at some time. Signs of psychosis can include delusions and hallucinations. Hallucinations involve seeing, hearing, or smelling things that are not there, while delusions are strong beliefs in something despite clear evidence that it is false.
Diagnosing Bipolar Disorder
To be diagnosed with bipolar I disorder, according to the NIMH, an individual must have face signs of mania for almost 7 days, or lower if the signs were severe enough to need hospitalization.
For a diagnosis of bipolar II disorder, an individual must have faced almost one cycle of depression and hypomania.
A doctor might perform a physical exam and request diagnostic tests, such as urine and blood tests, to eliminate other potential causes of the symptoms.
Challenges in Diagnosis
Diagnosing bipolar disorder can be challenging. Individuals are more possibly to take help when experiencing a low mood rather than a high mood, making it trouble for doctors to distinguish bipolar disorder from depression.
Complications and Considerations
Some complications that might takes place with bipolar disorder include substance utilization to manage with symptoms, anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The NIMH advises doctors to look for symptoms of mania in a person’s history to prevent misdiagnosis, as certain antidepressants can trigger mania in some individuals.
Treatment for Bipolar Disorder
The goal of treatment for bipolar disorder is to standardise the person’s state of mind and decrease the seriousness of their symptoms, helping them to work efficiently in daily life. Treatment typically involves some therapies, involving:
- Medication: This may include mood stabilizers, antipsychotic medications, and sometimes antidepressants.
- Psychotherapy: Common approaches are family-focused therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy.
- Self-Management Strategies: These include education about the condition and learning to find the early symptoms of a case.
- Complementary Therapies: Meditation, exercise, and self-care practices like maintaining consistent quality sleep can be beneficial.
Finding the correct diagnosis and suitable treatment can take time, as each person with bipolar disorder has different needs and widely varying symptoms.
Causes
As per the NIMH, bipolar disorder seems to develop from a combination of genetic, biological, and environmental factors.
- Genetic Factors: It is more normal in individuals who have a member in the family with the condition, suggesting a hereditary component. Many genetic characteristics may be included.
- Biological Factors: Imbalances in hormones or neurotransmitters that hurt the brain may contribute to the development of bipolar disorder.
- Environmental Factors: Some episodes in life like mental stress, abuse, main loss, or other traumatic experiences can trigger a primary episode of bipolar disorder.
Summary
Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition causing intense mood swings, including mania and depression. Diagnosis involves criteria from the DSM-5-TR, with challenges distinguishing it from depression or schizophrenia. Treatment includes medication, psychotherapy, and self-management strategies.
Causes are a mix of genetic, biological, and environmental factors. A doctor may use physical exams and diagnostic tests to rule out other conditions. Despite the challenges, proper treatment can help individuals lead productive lives.
