Normal moods are the body's reaction to outside or inside stimuli, allowing everyone to handle, cope, or otherwise experience healthy emotions. Bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive disorder, is one of the many mood disorders-abnormal psychological conditions characterized by extreme, repetitive swings in mood over prolonged periods in life.
Bipolar disorder is characterized by alternating episodes of mania (high energy and elated thought) and depression (low energy and blues). In some cases, however, symptoms of mania and depression may occur together in a state called Mixed Bipolar State. Bipolar disorder facts show that over 2 million adult Americans suffer every year from it.
Types of Bipolar Disorder
Two main types of bipolar disorder are commonly known: bipolar I disorder and bipolar II disorder. In the former case, the patient has experienced at least one episode of high mania. Numerous episodes of hypomania alternating with depression are called cyclothymic disorder.
Highs
Sufferers of bipolar mood disorder experience the presence of highs, which are characterized by increased physical and mental activity and energy; heightened mood, exaggerated optimism and self-confidence; excessive irritability, aggressive behavior; decreased need for sleep without experiencing fatigue; grandiose delusions; racing speech; impulsiveness; reckless behavior; delusions and hallucinations.
Lows
Bipolar mood disorder, as well as other depressive disorders include severe lows, such as prolonged sadness or unexplained crying spells; significant changes in sleep patterns; irritability, anger, worry, agitation; pessimism; loss of energy or extreme fatigue; feelings of guilt or worthlessness; inability to concentrate, unexplained aches and pains, and suicidal thoughts.
Manic Episodes
Manic episodes are characterized by high activity, irritability and restlessness, euphoric feeling, racing thinking and speech hopping from topic to topic, impulsiveness, lack of concentration and poor judgment. In many cases the manic-depressive shows erratic or rash behavior e.g. in driving or sexual activity. In severe cases of mania, hallucinations (hearing voices that are not there) and delusions (strong irrational beliefs about reality) may also occur.
Depressive Episodes
Depression includes gloomy mood with feelings of emptiness and often crying spells. Pessimism, indifference, indecisiveness, and (in extreme cases) recurring thoughts of death and suicide are other main indicators of depression.
Victims of Bipolar Disorder
According to published bipolar disorder facts, the disorder occurs in all ages, races, ethnic groups and social classes. Men and women equally suffer from it, though women have been reported to experience more rapid cycling of mood swings.
The Age of Vulnerability
Bipolar disorder facts reveal that this abnormality mostly strikes in late adolescence or early adult life (90 % cases start before age 20).
Diagnosis
Patients thought to be suffering from bipolar mood disorder cannot be self-diagnosed. Since there are no lab tests that can indicate the presence of the disorder, a trained medical or mental health professional must conduct interviews and tests; if medication is required, it must be strictly managed.
Bipolar disorder, or manic depression as some people call it, is a very frightening condition to live with. The symptoms of this disorder can be harsh, they can come and go rapidly and they can lead to mood swings that are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum. Bipolar depression is the particular swing that can present some of the most problems for those who suffer from the condition.
To understand bipolar depression, it's a very good idea to have a basic grasp on this condition in its entirety. Those who suffer from this condition tend to endure very extreme mood swings. Manic behavior is on one end of the spectrum and depressive the other.
The swings are not caused by a desire to get into trouble. They are not caused by a psychological problem, per say. Rather, the root of this medical phenomena is an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain. When these chemicals are out of whack, behavior can be, as well.
While both phases of bipolar disorder can cause very real, very lasting problems for those who suffer from the disorder, it is the depressive phase that can be the most troubling. This is so for a number of reasons.
First off, bipolar depression is generally the phase that causes misdiagnosis. Doctors recognize the depressive symptoms and fail to recognize the manic ones. This means a person suffering from this very real, very biological condition is more likely to be treated for the single phase, rather than the entire disorder.
Make no mistake, however, the blame doesn't necessarily fall entirely on the doctors. It is possible the patients and their family members, too, fail to connect the manic episodes with the depressive ones. This can mean a doctor is forced to treat a patient with only half of the picture to go on.
Since this condition involves a chemical imbalance, the medications used to treat depression might not always be helpful. A careful management of bipolar disorder needs to be present to help ensure a patient leads as close to a normal life as possible.
The second major reason bipolar depression is a big problem is the symptoms themselves. Often mirroring true, clinical depression these symptoms can range from loss of appetite and fatigue to feelings of helplessness, sadness and guilt. It is even possible that thoughts of death and suicide will be present and even acted on. The suicide rate for untreated bipolar depression is higher than many might think.
The depressive phase can also be misidentified as nothing more than "the blues." Since the bipolar patient can go through such extreme mood swings, it can be very difficult for the person suffering and those around them to take the depressive state and recognize it for its seriousness.
Living with manic depression requires very careful management. While there is no known cure for the condition, there are treatments that can help keep its most troublesome symptoms in check. When the disorder is properly treated, the signs of bipolar depression and even the manic phases are kept well under wraps in most cases.
Both Chris Marshall & Candice Sabrina are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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