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[B681]Bipolar Disorder And Schizophrenia

by Adam Douglas, Ada

Bipolar disorder, also commonly known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that inflicts unusual swing not only in a person's mood but also the level of energy, irritability, aggressiveness, ability to function and temperament. Although we all experience certain changes in our mood from time to time, someone who suffers from bipolar disorder experience this in much greater intensity and severity, often it becomes so extreme and disruptive that this disorder interferes with a person's normal daily life.

This condition can be dangerous and even life-threatening if left undiagnosed and untreated. A patient who is suffering from bipolar disorder may deteriorate from feeling depressed to feeling absolutely suicidal as the sense of sadness, loneliness and hopelessness take hold. This disorder usually develops in late adolescence, around the age of eighteen or early adulthood. However many sufferers live with this condition for years before it is properly diagnosed. Without treatment, the usual course of bipolar disorder tends to go from bad to worse. The risk of suicide appears to be higher earlier in the course of the illness, consequently being able to detect the symptoms of bipolar disorder early and learning how best to manage it may help decrease the risk of death by suicide.

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

How can you identify the symptoms of bipolar disorder? It is sometimes quite easy to dismiss this condition especially among teenagers as they are usually full of angst, depressed or go through different phases of intense emotions during late adolescence or early adulthood. Parents do need to keep an eye on their teenage children's feelings and if these episodes of mania or depression do not subside or stop altogether, they could well be exhibiting the symptoms of a bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder causes dramatic mood swings, from overly high, called a mania episode to an overly low mood called severe depression. Some of bipolar disorder's manic symptoms include restlessness, extreme irritability, super-charged energy level, racing thoughts and ideas followed by the inability to express them in an understandable manner, feeling excessively "high" or euphoric, feeling jumpy or needing very little sleep, total lack of concentration, becoming easily distracted, unrealistic beliefs in one's abilities and powers and poor judgment. Some may also experience increased sexual drive, becoming intrusive, aggressive or provocative and still deny that anything is wrong with them.

On the other end of the scale, symptoms of a depressive episode include an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness or pessimism, a prolonged feeling of emptiness, anxiety and extreme sadness, a sense of guilt or worthlessness, difficulty in concentrating, remembering or making decisions, sleeplessness or chronic fatigue leading to excessive sleeping, loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed, weight gain or loss, and continuous thought of suicide or death.

Seeking Treatment

A sufferer of a bipolar disorder will need to be diagnosed by a certified professional before treatment can commence. Most people with this condition, including those with the most severe forms, can achieve substantial stabilization of their mood swings and related symptoms with proper medication and psychosocial treatment over a period of time. Both the patient and doctor must work closely together every step of the way to monitor progress and make the necessary adjustments to the treatment plan to ensure treatment effectiveness.

Bipolar disorder manifests itself by severe high and low mood swings. The manic stage of the condition describes the high, whereas the depressive stage refers to the low. The identification of the disorder in its infancy is important to individuals as there is a chance that it can be effectively treated.

A person afflicted with bipolar disorder was once said to be manic depressive. That term is not used as often to describe the disorder nowadays, however.

The disorder is often misdiagnosed because its symptoms are closely aligned to those of severe depression. The disorder cannot be cured and is a lifelong condition. A strong link exists between the incidence of bipolar disorder in offspring from affected biological parents.

This condition, also known as manic depressive illness, is an illness which has significant impact on the sufferer and their families. Bipolar disorder usually strikes before the age of 35, frequently in the late teens and early 20s.

According to statistics, over two million Americans suffer from the condition, which is mainly classed as a mental illness affecting moods and attitude. In the manic stage, the patient may become overly excited and confident, or the patient could be irritable, angry, or experience rage.

The mis diagnosis often occurs because patients may spend more time in the depressive stage than in the manic stage. Although it can be difficult to accurately diagnose, the condition is said by authorities to be treatable.

There is no evidence to show that bipolar disorder can be prevented. However, seeking early treatment and maintaining a stable course of therapy can help bipolar patients to maintain as uninterrupted lifestyle as possible.

It is important for people to educate themselves about the disorder, especially if they have a history of mental illness in their families. Its differentiation from non-bipolar depression is vital as the wrong treatment for this problem may actually worsen the course of bipolar illness.

Whilst diagnosis still remains a difficulty, we have advanced quite remarkably from just a few years ago. It has probably been around for years, but its distinction as a category has been quite recent.

One of the biggest problems in early days was, What to do with the victims? Where and how should they be treated? At times, in certain areas of the world, the only place for treatment was in a psychiatric hospital.

From the outside, this would seem a logical place to treat someone with the condition, but the ramifications were huge. Bipolar disorder is marked characteristically by depression. Can you imagine how quickly a victim would be thrown into the very depths of depression, given that those in their immediate environment were exhibiting numerous bizarre and dysfunctional behaviors?

So it has become a chicken and egg situation. Which caused which? Did the victim have bipolar disorder from the outset, or was there perhaps a depression evident that was magnified by the environment and then diagnosed as bipolar? This causes a very fine line, and must emphatically be left to the experts to discern.

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Both Adam Douglas & Sharron Nixon 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.

Adam Douglas has sinced written about articles on various topics from Bipolar Disorder, Gardening and Blood Pressure. For more great articles on Bipolar Disorder please visit .. Adam Douglas's top article generates over 40500 views. to your Favourites.

Sharron Nixon has sinced written about articles on various topics from About Branding, Bipolar Disorder and Bipolar Disorder. Sharron Nixon is a 44 year old mother of 3 who lives in New Zealand and has a passion for Las Vegas. Check out Sharron's website: