Emotions have its ups and downs. It is normal for everyone to feel. But for a person affected by a bipolar disorder, these highs and lows can become very extreme and hinder daily activities. There are times that the situation also became dangerous. A person cannot work because of feeling so depressed. Then the next day, this person feels great, filled with creativity and endless energy. However, some people can misinterpret such actions as being reckless and uncontrollable.
A bipolar disorder can be unpredictable and confusing. This medical condition is also chronic. Never feel embarrassed if you are affected with this type of disorder. Learning all about it is helpful to manage such medical illness successfully.
A bipolar disorder affects the ability of a person to feel various moods in a normal range. Manic depression is another term for bipolar disorder. Bipolar is used to describe two extremes or poles. People affected by this serious medical condition have mood alterations ranging from an extremely low (depression) to an extremely high (mania).
The best picture to describe such condition is the globe. The globe is divided into the North and South Pole. The mania would be the North Pole and the depression would be the South Pole. If a person experiences the symptoms of either pole for a definite duration of time, then he or she is experiencing an episode. These episodes must be thoroughly discussed with a healthcare provider.
There are four kinds of episodes associated with bipolar disorder according to APA (American Psychiatric Association).
1.Depression. Sometimes, a person can feel extremely sad for a prolong period of time. It is very impossible for him or her to eat or leave his or her bed. The things which he or she enjoys to do seem very difficult.
2.Mania. This is the other pole of a bipolar disorder. It may begin with a high or good feeling. But after sometimes a person can feel very angry and irritable. Doing risky things is not impossible.
3.Hypomania. Compared to mania, this type of episode is only mild. A person might feel very good thinking that more things are getting done. But after a while, his or her mood changes to a full-blown depression or mania.
4.Mixed mood or mixed episode. The feelings of depression and mania can affect a person many times during the day.
These episodes can put a person at risk for committing suicide. Experiencing mania or depression for more than four episodes within a year is known as rapid-cycling. There are different symptoms for both poles of a bipolar disorder.
The mania symptoms include increased levels of energy, reduce needs for sleep, easily distracted, mind jumps, racing thoughts, more talkative, more confident, focus on doing things but accomplishes only little, and more risky even if it means things are going to be bad.
The depression symptoms include feeling blue or sad, feeling down, losing interests on the things which a person is enjoying including sex, feeling guilty, feeling hopeless, feeling worthless, sleep too much or too little, changes in appetite or weight, feeling tired, feeling too little energy, feeling restless, concentration problems, decision-making problems, and thoughts of suicide or death.
Moreover, it is also vital to learn how mood swings are triggered. Emotions and events that happened in a life of a person can be the triggering factors. Sad, unpleasant, or happy events can make a person experiences either depressive or manic episodes. Triggers or stressors include irregular schedule of sleep, misuse of drugs or alcohol, stopping medication, starting medications for depression or other herbal products, and having problems related to thyroid and other health condition.
Nevertheless, different people may experience different triggers. Some people also consider seasonal changes, illness, holidays, work problems, friends or family's disagreements, marriage, starting a recent job, starting college, love one's death as triggers. Figuring out what triggers a person can help. Keeping a mood chart to record varying emotions can determine mood swing patterns. This can be a tough task but provides many treatment possibilities.
A bipolar disorder is not more of a problem today. There are lots of treatments available. It is very important to talk to a healthcare provider to create a plan that will work best in stabilizing mood swings.
Weight gain is one of the main reasons why some bipolar patients stop taking their medications. Bipolar depression medications often increase your hunger, creating the urge to eat uncontrollably, leading to weight gain. In addition, eating disorder is usually associated with depression. It is common for depressed individuals to turn to food to satisfy their emotional needs.
Bipolar disorder requires medications. Don't give up your medications just because of your weight gain.
Like an Olympic athlete, you must train yourself to restrict your diet. You must identify the signs that your medications are affecting your hunger and craving for food. These signs include: eating if you wake up in the middle of the night; binge eating even when you are not hungry; being obsessive with food; feeling a desire to eat even though you just ate.
These are obvious signs that your medications are the culprit. However, take into consideration that most bipolar disorder drugs increase your appetite. Develop an exercise program to help you burn your extra calories, and stick to it. In addition, you may want to increase your exercise before you even have a chance to gain weight.
Accept the fact that even when you eat less and exercise more, you will gain weight because some bipolar medications change your body's metabolism - how your body burns calories. Your body's reactions to medications are unique: some individuals overeat and some don't; some gain weight, while others may even lose weight. The important thing is not to blame yourself. If you think you are at fault, then this will worsen your depression.
One of your main goals to control bipolar disorder is to focus on your diet, despite your increased appetite. Whatever you eat, eat healthy.
Junk food may satisfy your immediate craving and give you momentary satisfaction. However, foods made from refined white flour and white sugar, as well as sodas, quickly cause a spike in your blood sugar and then a drastic stop. This is how they can adversely affect your mood swings.
Is it worthwhile to have less junk food and fewer pop sodas in exchange for more stable moods in the long run? The choice or preference for junk food has little to do with your appetite. You can have a great appetite and still eat healthy. The choice is yours. A healthy diet makes a healthy body and a healthy mind.
If your body weight is totally out of control despite all your efforts, maybe you should consider asking your doctor to change your medications, if need be. A good physician should be monitoring how your respond to the medications, as well as their side effects on you.
The number one solution for weight gain due to bipolar medications is prevention. If you are newly diagnosed and have just started your bipolar medications, weigh yourself now and watch your weight carefully. Individuals can gain as much as fifty pounds or more in some of these medications in a very short while. You do not want to create one problem after another.
Both Jesus Sabu & Stephen Lau 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.