About Bipolar Affective Disorder
Bipolar (Affective) Disorder
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depression, is a serious mental health problem characterized by an alternation between extreme euphoria (also called mania) and deep depression. This condition can interfere with the normal lifestyle of an individual. This is one of the most serious mood disorders likely to occur in adolescents and young adults and continue for a lifetime. It has been estimated that about 2 million people in the US are diagnosed with manic depressive disorder, but most of them are likely to be underdiagnosed and not treated appropriately. Bipolar people are 30 times as likely to commit a suicide as an average healthy person, which is why diagnosing this disorder very accurately is crucial. Bipolar affective disorder cannot be cured, but it can be treated with a combination of medicine, therapy and medical observation to provide for a healthier lifestyle.
There are some signs of bipolar disorder that can indicate the onset of the disease. One of them is hypomania – but as it usually doesn’t usually interfere with the person’s daily responsibilities, it may not be diagnosed in some cases. Hypomania is characterized by extreme excitement, unrealistic expectations of extraordinary abilities, sex drive, excessively aggressive behavior, abuse of sleeping drugs, alcohol, increased energy levels, as well as constant denial of the fact something is wrong. All these can be considered signs of bipolar disorder if they continue for 4 days in a row; the diagnosis may be more accurate if the condition starts to seriously interfere with the patient’s daily responsibilities and is not caused by taking some medications, or abusing alcohol or drugs.
An episode of full-blown depression is likely to last for a coupe of weeks and display the following signs: feeling of helplessness, pessimism, worthlessness, guilt, irritability, trouble concentrating for a long time, sudden weight gain or weight loss, sadness, persistent anxiety, loss of interest in people and activities, even the most pleasant ones, trouble remembering information, body aches (unless experienced as side effects of some medicine) and suicidal thoughts..
Manic depressive disorder can be classified into the following types: bipolar I disorder (frequent mood swings, several manic episodes, sudden movement towards hypomania and full-blown mania) and bipolar II disorder (the episodes of mania are infrequent, although depression lasts longer; at the same time some people report exactly the opposite). If the patient displays the signs of both types, the doctor must apply appropriate criteria to evaluate the condition.
Cycles of depression and mania are different depending on the patient: they can be experienced once several years, several episodes a year or lasting for a week, while others may display rapid mood swings within a day or even less (ultradian cyclers).
It’s not known for sure what causes bipolar disorder, but genetic predisposition is likely to contribute to it. There are also a number of other factors that can speed up the process of the development of this disorder, such as traumatic emotional event, or too much stress; most scientists think it’s rather a combination of several factors causing bipolar mood disorder.
The disorder is usually treated with the help of a combination of special drugs and professional psychological support. Lithium is the most frequently used medication to treat mania; besides this medicine, it can be chlorpromazine or haloperidol. If the patient suffers from extensive episodes of severe depression, the doctor may prescribe antidepressants, but this means the person should be very carefully observed to make sure the drug doesn’t cause himlead to developing a manic state. In some cases, when the symptoms are severe, the patient may be urgently hospitalized or treated with eElectroconvulsive tTherapy. Due to the seriousness of this disorder, the people suffering from it need as much help and attention from their families and friends as possible; accurate diagnosis is also crucial.
Different people respond in different ways to the treatment prescribed. It’s quite challenging to define the drug that will work, what its right dosage is, or the exact combination of medicines the individual requires. This is very important because bipolar mood disorder is a lifelong condition, so the patient needs to have an opportunity of living a normal life. In some cases several kinds of medications may be tried before the right combination will work.
A very serious problem related to bipolar affective disorder is that the suicide rate amongbetween such patients is very high. About 15 to 25 percent of bipolar people are likely to attempt a suicide if they do not receive the necessary treatment. However, if such patients stick to the guidelines provided by their doctor, they have a chance of living normal lives.
One thing known about bipolar disorder for sure is: it cannot be cured, but a lot can be done to relieve the symptoms and let the patients fully enjoy their lives. The disorder is likely to improve if the right combination of drugs and therapies is found, and if the patient pays attention to the symptoms and learns as much as possible about the disease.
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