Bipolar is a psychotic disorder characterized by drastic variations in mood. Signs can include an extremely elevated mood called mania, to depressive lows.

 

As reported by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), bipolar disorder impacts over ten million people in the United States or around 2.8 percent of the population.

 

On average, a person receives a diagnosis around the age of 25 years, but symptoms can appear during adolescence or later in life. It equally affects both males and females.

Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic-depressive illness, is a mental disorder that  unusually causes shifts in a person’s activity levels, their ability to carry out day-to-day tasks, their mood, their energy, their concentration, and their ability to function.

It is very different from the daily ups and downs that everybody goes through normally, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are quite severe. If left untreated, bipolar disorder can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide. Bipolar disorder is treatable, and people with this illness can lead full and productive lives.

Bipolar disorder can cause dramatic mood swings—from being overly high and irritable to sad and hopeless, and then back and forth, often with periods of normal mood in between. The characteristics are severe changes in behavior, attention, and energy. The periods of highs are called manic episodes and the low periods are called depressive episodes.

The symptoms of Manic Episodes are:

  • Feeling very up, high, elated, or extremely irritable or touchy

  • Feeling more active than usual

  • Lots of racing thoughts

  • Decreased need for sleep

  • Talking fast about a lot of different things

  • Excessive appetite for food, drinking, sex, or other pleasurable activities

The symptoms of Depressive Episodes are:

  • Feeling down or sad, or anxious

  • Feelings of slowness or restlessness

  • Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

  • Difficulty in falling asleep, waking up too early, or sleeping too much

  • Talking very slowly

  • Lack of interest in day-to-day activities

Treatment

The treatment of bipolar disorder aims to stabilize the person’s mood and reduce the severity of symptoms. The goal is to help the person live a full and productive life and to function effectively and efficiently in daily life.

Treatment involves a combination of therapies, including:

  • Medication

  • Counseling

  • Physical Intervention

  • Lifestyle Remedies

To stabilize the mood and manage the symptoms, drug treatments can help a lot. Whereas, psychotherapy can help relieve symptoms and equip a person to manage bipolar disorder. A doctor may recommend family therapy for children and teens with bipolar disorder. A patient may need to spend time in the hospital if there is a risk of them harming themselves or others. If other treatments have not helped, a doctor may prescribe electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Changing some lifestyle choices can help maintain a stable mood and manage symptoms. For example, getting regular exercise, establishing a regular sleep pattern and taking steps to prevent sleep disturbance, following a healthy diet, and maintaining a regular routine.

 

Importance of Professional Counseling: A friend or family member may listen to you, but they aren’t professionally, technically qualified or experienced to offer you professional advice. If you wish you can contact us at MindTribe to receive help from our team of expert psychologists.

About MindTribe.in.

MindTribe Founder Dr. Prerna Kohli, India’s eminent psychologist, established the company to leverage the strength of the online to make counseling affordable and accessible to everyone. MindTribe provides counseling, workshops, support groups, forums, and eLearning.

About the Author.

Saher Siddiqui is a psychologist at MindTribe.in. You can learn more about her by clicking here

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MindTribe.in, the Founders, or management team.

Acknowledgement: All images used are open source and from Unsplash.