Mental Health Conditions › Bipolar Disorder
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Bipolar Disorder is a condition that affects your moods which can swing from one extreme to the other. If you have bipolar disorder, you will experience 'episodes' of depression and mania.
Depression and mania
The depression and mania that are associated with bipolar disorder are characterised as follows:
- Depression: where you feel very low
- Mania: where you feel very high; slightly less severe mania is known as hypomania.
The depression phase of bipolar disorder often comes first. Initially, you may be diagnosed with clinical depression before having a manic episode some time later (sometimes years later), after which your diagnosis might change. During an episode of depression, you may have overwhelming feelings of worthlessness, which often lead to thoughts of suicide.
During a manic phase of bipolar disorder, you may feel very happy and have lots of ambitious plans and ideas. You may spend large amounts of money on things that you cannot afford. Not feeling like eating or sleeping, talking quickly and becoming annoyed easily are also common characteristics of the manic phase of bipolar disorder.
During the manic phase, you may feel very creative and view mania as a positive experience. However, during the manic phase of bipolar disorder.
How common is bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a relatively common condition with around one person in 100 being diagnosed with the condition.
Bipolar disorder can occur at any age, although it often develops in people who are between 18-24 years of age. Both men and women, and people from all backgrounds, can develop bipolar disorder.
The pattern of mood swings in bipolar disorder varies widely between individuals. For example, some people will only have a couple of bipolar episodes in their lifetime, and will be stable in between, while others may experience many episodes.
The symptoms of bipolar disorder can be broken down into 3 groups: Depression, Mania & Rapid cycling
Depression
- Being delusional
- Difficulty concentrating & remembering
- Difficulty sleeping
- Feeling pessemistic about everything
- Feeling sad and hopeless
- Feelings of emptiness/worthlessness
- Feelings of guilt/despair
- Lack of appetite
- Lack of energy
- Loss of interest in day to day activities
- Self doubt
- Suicidal thoughts
- Waking up early
Mania
- Being delusional
- Being easily distracted
- Being easily irritated/agitated
- Feeling full of energy
- Feeling full of great new ideas
- Feeling full of self-importance
- Feeling very happy, elated or euphoric
- Not eating
- Not feeling like sleeping
- Talking very quickly
Rapid cycling
Episodes of depression and mania are sometimes punctuated by periods of ‘normal’ mood. However, some people with bipolar disorder can swing from a high to low phase quickly without having a 'normal' period in between. This is known as rapid cycling.
Although the exact cause of bipolar disorder is not fully understood, it can be split up into three factors that are known to cause bipolar disorder symptoms. These are: Chemical imbalances, genetic factors & triggers.
Chemical Imbalances
Bipolar disorder is widely believed to be the result of chemical imbalances in the brain. Neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine are the chemicals that are responsible for controlling the functions of the brain.
If there is an imbalance in the levels of one or more neurotransmitters, it may cause the symptoms of bipolar disorder. For example, episodes of mania may occur when levels of norepinephrine are too high, and episodes of depression may be the result of norepinephrine levels becoming too low.
Genetic Factors
As well as being linked to chemical imbalances in the brain, bipolar disorder is also thought to have a significant genetic factor. Bipolar disorder seems to run in families with the family members of a person with the condition having an increased risk of developing it themselves.
However, there is no single gene that is responsible for bipolar disorder. Instead, it is thought that a number of genetic and environmental factors act as triggers for the condition.
Triggers
A stressful circumstance, or situation, is usually required to trigger the onset of the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Examples of stressful triggers include:
- physical, sexual or emotional abuse
- the breakdown of a relationship
- the death of a close family member or loved one
Bipolar disorder may also be triggered by overwhelming problems in everyday life, such as problems to do with money, work or relationships.
- Medicines to treat the mania
- Medicines to treat the depression
- Recognising triggers
Mania Medicines
Depression Medicines
Trigger Recognition
If you have bipolar disorder, it is possible to learn to recognise the warning signs of an approaching episode of mania or depression. This will not prevent the episode occurring, but it will enable you to get help in time.
This may mean making some changes to your treatment, perhaps adding an anti-depressant or anti-psychotic medicine to the mood stabilising medication you are already taking.
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