Bipolar Disorder (Part I)

Well, I was too busy the last few months but now I'm back. I'm back with the post I'd promised you about bipolar disorder or as it's more commonly known manic depression. Bipolar disorder is not a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated mood, clinically referred to as mania. Apart from manic episodes people suffering -maybe that's the wrong word, but you get the point- also commonly experience depressive episodes or symptoms, or even mixed episodes in which features of both mania and depression are present at the same time. The onset of symptoms usually occurs in young adulthood. According to the DSM-IV-TR there are four types of mood disorders which fit into the bipolar categories: Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Cyclothymia, and Bipolar Disorder NOS (Not Otherwise Specified). Bipolar I is the most serious. An individual in order to be diagnosed with bipolar 1 must experience one or more manic episodes with or without major depressive episodes. A manic episode is characterized by extremely elevated mood, energy, unusual thought patterns and sometimes psychosis. People experiencing mania can stay awake for days and take many risks. They tend to buy many things they don't need, find themselves in debt or engage in risky behaviour. Often these individuals need to be hospitalized. Symptoms of mania in a snapshot:

• Distractibility
• Indiscretion
• Grandiosity
• Flight of ideas
• Activity increased
• Sleep (decreased need for)
• Talkativeness (pressured speech)

Bipolar II is characterized by hypomanic as well as at least one major depressive episode. Bipolar II is more difficult to diagnose because of the nature of hypomanic episodes. Hypomania may simply appear as a period of successful high productivity and is reported less frequently than a distressing depression. Cyclothymia involves a presence or history of hypomanic episodes with periods of depression that do not meet criteria for major depressive episodes. Cyclothymia may interfere with a person's functioning but not as much as the previous two types. Bipolar Disorder NOS is used as a diagnosis when the present condition of an individual doesn't fit into the other categories. What causes bipolar disorder? There are no certain answers. The genes play an important part because bipolarity seems to be running in families. Psychological factors are also important. They seem to be the trigger of the disease. Abnormalities in the brain may also contribute to the disorder. In a few words more research needs to be done. For now bipolar disorder is considered multifactorial; that is, many genes and environmental factors conspire to create the disorder. Treatment? It cannot be cured but it is treatable. The success of the treatment depends on the type and the severity of the symptoms. Treatment methods include pharmacological and psychological techniques. A variety of medications is used in most of the cases and mood stabilizers such as lithium play an important part. Anticonvulsant drugs and antipsychotic drugs are often used. Psychotherapy can help as well in combination with the meds. I'll get to that sometime in the future.

Bipolar Disorder: Underdiagnosed or overdiagnosed?

Mental health professional used to diagnose depression much more easily than bipolar disorder. They tend to ignore hypomanic symptoms because they are seen as rather pleasant by the individual and aren't mentioned as often. On the other hand, many clinical psychologists and psychiatrists today diagnose even children with bipolar disorder and prescribe meds at a very young age. Are all these kids bipolar or just kids being kids? Overdiagnosing patients with bipolar disorder can be really dangerous because of the meds' side-effects. Mood stabilizers are known to have many side effects that implicate the quality of individual's life.

...to be continued


Links: 1, 2, 3, 4

(next bipolar disorder and creativity)