Bipolar Disorder Overview

Bipolar Disorder, also known as manic depressive disorder, manic depression, or bipolar affective disordera is a mental condition that affects mood and behavior is characterized by extreme highs and lows (mania and depression). One minute they can feel depressed and the next very manic.

These intense mood swings often start in the early teen years and continue up through adulthood without treatment.

Bipolar Disorder Symptoms

Everybody feels ups and downs throughout there life, week, and day but people with bipolar disorder experience these mood swings far more often and with much more intensity.

The symptoms of bipolar disorder are classified into two sections, depression and mania as follows:

Symptoms of Depression

• Feeling of worthlessness
• Prolonged periods of sad or irritable moods
• Anxiety
• Thoughts of suicide
• Sleeping too much or unable to sleep
• Appetite loss or overeating
• Worry and Anger
• Loss of interest in daily activities
• loss of energy or fatigue

Symptoms of Mania

• Racing speech and thoughts
• Lots of energy
• Exaggerated optimism
• Overly, and extended periods of happiness
• Increased physical and mental activity
• Aggressive behavior
• Reckless, risky behavior
• Feeling of euphoria
• Inflated self-esteem
• Increased sexual drive
• Decreased concentration

Everybody experiences these symptoms differently. The periods of depression and mania may last for hours to weeks at a time and there can be long periods between episodes, where a person with bipolar disorder usually returns to normal (or near-normal) functioning.

Causes of Bipolar Disorder

While the exact cause of bipolar disorder isn’t completely understood it’s believed to be caused by three major factors:

• Imbalances in certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, that when are off balance, regulating certain emotions becomes difficult and can result it extreme mood swings. Other imbalances may include an over secretion of cortisol, a stress hormone, excessive influx of calcium into brain cells, and Abnormal hyperactivity in parts of the brain associated with emotion and movement coordination and low activity in parts of the brain associated with concentration, attention, inhibition, and judgment.

• Genes have been shown to play a role in bipolar disorder. If a close relative has bipolar disorder you have a greater risk in developing the condition (Although, this does not mean you will automatically develop it).
• Environmental factors can have an effect such as stress, a lost loved one, or other traumatic events.

How is Bipolar Disorder Diagnosed

Bipolar Disorder can be treated, but unfortunately most people never get diagnosed. There is no one easy way to test for bipolar disorder but multiple tests can be conducted to diagnose the condition including physical and mental exams.

• Questions about medications and life events may be the starting point to diagnosis. Many issues in life can cause mood swings as well as medications and drug and alcohol abuse.

• Physical Tests may be done to look for an underlining issue that may be causing some of your symptoms such as thyroid disorders and other abstract diseases and conditions that may affect mood.
• Psychological evaluations will be done including questions from your doctor about events in your day to day life that may trigger episodes, work and family issues. and length of the mood swings. You may also be referred to a psychiatrist for further evaluation.

Treatments for Bipolar Disorder

Getting treated for bipolar disorder can have a huge effect by vastly increasing a persons quality of life. By starting treatment as early as possible a doctor will be able to determine what works and what doesn’t for the particular individual, and studies have shown that with treatment suicide rates drop significantly.

Treatment options involved for bipolar disorder include a combination of medication and psychological therapy. These treatments are long term and can last the duration of the persons life.

Medications for Bipolar Disorder

• Mood Stabilizers and Anti-seizure medications are the most commonly prescribed medications for bipolar disorder. These medications, including lithium (Lithobid, Eskalith), valproate, divalproex (Depakote), carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol), olanzapine (Zyprexa), lamotrigine (Lamictal), and quetiapine (Seroquel), help stabilize and regulate mood and create a more balanced transition between depression and mania.
• Antidepressants work for some, but are not always recommended as a treatment option.  In some cases the use of antidepressants have resulted in triggering manic episodes making it a more controversial form of treatment..

A person starting a new regiment for bipolar disorder may go through a trial period in which they are watched closely for differences in their behavior and mood. Other medications may also be prescribed as well, such as anti-anxiety and anti-psychotic medications depending on the severity of the symptoms.

Psychotherapy for Bipolar Disorder

The human mind is a vast array of emotions caused by not only physical factors but life events. Understanding what may be triggering your depression and mania is vital to treating it, as such it may be helpful or necessary to utilize some of these therapy’s.

• Family Therapy can help identify stress issues in your life and open up communication. Long term results are common with mild forms of bipolar disorder.
• Group Therapy has been found to be an effective tool to use to help understand and relate feelings to everyday situations. Meeting with other people that have similar mania and depression, and discussing why they happen (triggers), can help with the persons ability to manage their emotions.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, is self therapy where the person in questions identifies negative emotions and tries to replace them with positive ones creating a better understanding of ones self and improving their outlook on life. This type of therapy can be quite rewarding but can take time and practice before it comes as a natural form of thinking.

In most cases these types of treatments alone or grouped together are enough to effectively treat the condition, but if a person is in a deep depression or mania it may be necessary to think about furthering psychiatric treatment and possibly hospitalization.