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This is the second in a series on mental health and mental disorders. Why here? why now?
NIMH.gov – National Institute of Mental Health: Bipolar Disorder
This is the second in a series on mental health and mental disorders. Why here? why now?
NIMH.gov – National Institute of Mental Health: Bipolar Disorder
To improve your mental health surround yourself with beauty. Art, creative activities, and gardening are all things that help people through mental disorder and stress. Sound medical advice should always be sought. Along with psychotherapy, talk therapy can help patients stay on medication and cope with their disorder's impact on work and family life. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on changing thoughts and behaviors that accompany mood swings. Interpersonal therapy aims to ease the strain bipolar disorder may place on personal relationships. Social rhythm therapy helps patients develop and maintain daily routines.
Sometimes your doctor would prescribe medications which are key in helping people with bipolar disorder live stable, productive lives. Mood stabilizers can smooth out the cycle of ups and downs. Patients may also be prescribed anticonvulsant, antidepressant, and antipsychotic drugs. Between acute states of mania or depression, patients typically stay on maintenance medication to avoid a relapse.
Bipolar disorder or manic-depressive disorder, is also referred to as bipolar affective disorder. It is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or more depressive episodes. The elevated moods are clinically referred to as mania or, if milder, hypomania. Individuals who experience manic episodes also commonly experience depressive episodes, or symptoms, or mixed episodes in which features of both mania and depression are present at the same time. These episodes are usually separated by periods of "normal" mood; but, in some individuals, depression and mania may rapidly alternate, which is known as rapid cycling. Extreme manic episodes can sometimes lead to such psychotic symptoms as delusions and hallucinations. The disorder has been subdivided into bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia, and other types, based on the nature and severity of mood episodes experienced; the range is often described as the bipolar spectrum.
Considered to be caused by a brain chemical imbalance that causes exaggerated mood swings (cycles) – from feeling depression (a state of low mood and aversion to activity) on the down cycle, to being euphoric, hypomanic and/or manic on the high cycle. Although doctors aren't exactly sure what causes bipolar disorder. A leading theory is that brain chemicals fluctuate abnormally. When levels of certain chemicals become too high, the patient develops mania. When levels drop too low, depression may result.
Genetic factors contribute substantially to the likelihood of developing bipolar disorder, and environmental factors are also implicated. Bipolar disorder is often treated with mood stabilizer medications and, sometimes, other psychiatric drugs. Psychotherapy also has a role, often when there has been some recovery of stability. In serious cases, in which there is a risk of harm to oneself or others, involuntary commitment may be used. These cases generally involve severe manic episodes with dangerous behavior or depressive episodes with suicidal ideation.
A crucial step in diagnosing bipolar disorder is to rule out other possible causes of extreme mood swings. These may include brain infection or other neurological disorders, substance abuse, thyroid problem, HIV, ADHD, side effects of certain medications, or other psychiatric disorders. There is no lab test for bipolar disorder. A psychiatrist usually makes the diagnosis based on a careful history and evaluation of the patient’s mood and other symptoms.
Bipolar disorder affects males and females equally. In most cases, the onset of symptoms is between 15 and 30 years old. People are at higher risk if a family member has been diagnosed, especially if it’s a first degree relative, but doctors don’t think the disorder kicks in based on genetics alone. A stressful event, drug abuse, or other unknown factor may trigger the cycle of ups and downs.
People with bipolar disorder are 10 to 20 times more likely to commit suicide than people without the illness. Warning signs include talking about suicide, putting affairs in order, and inviting death with risky behavior. Anyone who appears suicidal should be taken very seriously. In the US, do not hesitate to call one of the suicide hotlines: 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) and 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). If you have a plan to commit suicide, go to the emergency room for immediate treatment.
Establishing firm routines can help manage bipolar disorder. Routines should include sufficient sleep, regular meals, and exercise. Because alcohol and recreational drugs can worsen the symptoms, these should be avoided. Patients should also learn to identify their personal early warning signs of mania and depression. This will allow them to get help before an episode spins out of control.
There are widespread problems with social stigma, stereotypes, and prejudice against individuals with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. People with bipolar disorder exhibiting psychotic symptoms can sometimes be misdiagnosed as having schizophrenia, another serious mental illness.
Other References:
Since 1994 Pendulum.org a web resource for bipolar information – from IMHRO.org – International Mental Health Research Organization
MedlinePlus: Bipolar Disorder, list of linked reference materials from US National Library of Medicine / NIH National Institutes of Health
The New York Times – Health Guide - Bipolar Disorder involves periods of excitability (mania) alternating with periods of depression. The "mood swings" between mania and depression can be very abrupt.
We just finished a great read, “Welcome to the Jungle - Everything you ever wanted to know about bipolar but were too freaked out to ask” by Hilary Smith. “I wrote Welcome to the Jungle because it is the book I wish I'd been given when I was first diagnosed. If you read it, I hope it helps..”
There are many other brain disorders and mental disorders and illnesses listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), published by the American Psychiatric Association.
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