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[D249]Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder

by Joel Gray, Joe

Manic-depressive psychosis, also known as bipolar disorder, is a brain ailment which causes rapid and unusual changes in the affected person's mood, energy levels, and their ability to function normally. The mood swings caused due to manic depressive illness can range from highstrung and aggressive to down and out, sad and hopeless. These mood swings will go back and forth from one extreme to the other often with times of normal and calm moods between.

Bipolar disorder can seem to be something that it's not, as excessive alcohol or drug use, below average school or work performance, and strained personal relationships are often signs of manic depression, and are also common problems among young adults and teens.

With the complex nature of this ailment it is often very difficult to diagnose, and can range anywhere from being a petty annoyance to a dangerous lifelong problem. Like most mental illnesses bipolar disorder cannot be identified physiologically by a blood test or brain scan. Similar to heart disease or diabetes, it is a long term condition and must be carefully treated thoughout a person's entire life.

There are 2 types of this illness, Bipolar Type I, this is where someone experiences "full-blown" mania, and Bipolar II, where someone with this type will feel hypomanic "highs" which will not go to the extemes of "full-blown" mania.

Most professionals concur that there is no single, direct cause of manic depression, and with additional research scientist will begin to better understand the root causes of the illness. It is also difficult to identify from other problems that will occur in adolescents and young adults. With this additional research they may be able to have a more clear understanding of which treatments will work most effectively.

Using illicit substances such as amphetamines, cocaine or halucinagentics may also mimic the manic phase, as will certain medical and organic causes like strokes or infections.

Medication is the one main key contributor in successful treatment of bipolar disorder, psychotherapy, mental and emotional support, and education about the condition are also required steps of the treatment process. Psychosocial treatments which include specific forms of psychotherapy or "talk" therapy have been shown helpful in providing support, furthering the education, and providing direction to people with manic depression and their loved ones.

If you are diagnosed with bipolar disorder, take your medications as prescribed by your physician, immediatley report any changes in how you feel or condition, and participate in therapy is the key to living a successful life.

Being diagnosed with anillness can often bring a sense of relief. It can help a person to make senseof the way they have been feeling for some time and draw a line under thefrustration of not knowing what their condition was. At the same time though itcan also bring up a whole host of new questions and worries, and this certainlyhappens when a person is diagnosed as being bipolar.

Bipolar disorder ordisease as it is also known is a type of mood disorder that can send thebipolar person into manic highs and depressive lows. In between these periods,or episodes, the individual who is bipolar can feel totally normal and this iswhat can make having a diagnosis of bipolar disorder so hard to cope with.

Unfortunately beingdiagnosed with bipolar is seen as something as a stigma and this is due, inpart to society not fully understanding the impact that being bipolar has on aperson. Being diagnosed with bipolar is just the start of a long journey for aperson who is striving to become well again and wants to function just likeanyone else. It is all too easy to think that as soon as a person finds outthey are bipolar all they have to do is to start taking their pills for thedisease and this will miraculously cure them in no time. This assumption iswrong.

Instead being diagnosedwith bipolar means that the person can now start to find what type of treatmentwill work the best for them and move forward with their lives. If you have hada recent diagnosis of bipolar you might have mixed feelings about what thiswill mean for your future so it is essential that you find out all you canabout the condition.

Bipolar disorder can betreated in two main ways ? with drugs which are prescribed specifically to theindividual based on their own needs and the severity of their bipolar disorderand psychosocial treatments. Lithium is often used as it works very well as amood stabiliser and there are different strengths of this available for doctorsto prescribe for people diagnosed as being bipolar. Lamotrigine is also used ifthe patient has severe episodes of depression as this can help to alleviate thesymptoms and further stabilise the mood. There is currently a strong debateover whether or not antidepressants should be used to treat those people whoare bipolar as they have been known to be a trigger for depressive episodes, soit is quite unlikely that these would be prescribed.

Psychosocial treatmentscan come in the form of cognitive behaviour therapies and similar as these workat the core of bipolar disease and help to highlight emotional triggers for asufferer. In fact many people believe that when used in conjunction with thecorrect drugs psychosocial therapy can make a big difference to the quality oflife for a person who is bipolar.

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Both Joel Gray & John 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.

Joel Gray has sinced written about articles on various topics from Bipolar Disorder, Online Security and Asthma. For more information on dealing with Bipolar Disorder go to: To sign up for our "Free" Exercise & Diet Tips Newsletter go t. Joel Gray's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.

John has sinced written about articles on various topics from Parenting, Swimming Pool and Baby Shower. Online Support provides useful information about