The casual use of the word ‘bipolar’ refers to someone who is moody. So, we all can guess what bipolar disorder would mean, right? Hence, Unknown and Unexplained facts about bipolar disorder will give you a new insight into them.
Bipolar disorder involves the intense and extreme disruptive experience of fluctuations in mood, energy, and activity levels of a person, making their quotidian functioning very difficult. It is characterized by extreme highs i.e. mania or euphoric mood and extreme lows i.e. major depressive episodes.
Unknown and Unexplained facts about bipolar disorder
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF BIPOLAR DISORDERS?
The symptoms of this disorder vary from people to people. But mainly it involves:
- Unusual and intense shifts in emotions
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Fluctuations in activity levels
- Uncharacteristic behaviors that may have harmful and undesirable effects
The distinct periods of experiencing these symptoms are called ‘mood episodes’ where the moods and behavior of the person are quite different from how they are otherwise. During an episode, the symptoms may last every day for most of the day for weeks or even months.
Some people may spend weeks or months in either a manic mood or depressive mood. There is also a ‘mixed’ state where both the episodes are experienced at the same time. The person may feel very sad, hopeless, and empty but also simultaneously experience feelings of extreme energy or restlessness.
This disorder is mostly diagnosed during late adolescence or early adulthood. But sometimes, the symptoms may appear in children. However, it is controversial. There are a lot of overlapping symptoms between Bipolar disorder in children and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Children and teenagers with bipolar disorder have symptoms like:
- Temper tantrums
- Rapid mood changes
- Outbursts of aggression
- Explosive anger
- Reckless behaviours
These symptoms should be ‘episodic’ i.e. extreme display of symptoms for a particular period of time alternating with symptom-free periods.
WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF BIPOLAR DISORDERS?
There are three types of bipolar disorders.
Bipolar I disorder: For diagnosing a person with this type of bipolar disorder, he/she must have experienced,
- At least one manic episode that lasted at least 7 days.
- OR Manic symptoms so severe that he/she needed immediate hospital care,
- A previous major depressive episode lasting at least 2 weeks.
- Episodes of ‘mixed’ features i.e. having depressive and manic symptoms simultaneously are also possible.
Bipolar II disorder: For this diagnosis, the person must have experienced,
- One or more major depressive episodes.
- At least one hypomanic episode i.e. not a full-blown manic episode but milder manic symptoms for a duration of 4 days.
- The episode is not severe enough to require hospitalization.
- It includes sleeping less than normal and being competitive, extroverted, and high in energy.
- The person is fully functioning, which may not happen with the Bipolar I diagnosis.
- Without proper intervention, a person with hypomania can develop severe mania.
Cyclothymia: The symptoms of this disorder are more chronic and long-lasting and less severe than the symptoms of above mentioned types. The criteria for diagnosis include:
- Meeting criteria for hypomanic episodes many times over the span of at least 2 years.
- For children and adolescents, the span is at least 1 year.
- They may also have bouts of depressive symptoms but never meet the criteria for a major depressive or manic episode.
- During these respective time span, adults, children, or adolescents have never been without these symptoms for more than 2 months at a time.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Though a common disorder, experts are still researching the causes of this condition. It most likely does not have a single cause, but numerous factors interacting with each other may lead to development and worsening of this disorder.
Genetic factors: Individuals whose parents or siblings suffer from bipolar disorder have higher chances of having this disorder.
Biological factors: Structural or functional abnormalities in the brain have been found in individuals with bipolar disorder.
Environmental risk factors: These are not the causes of the disorder but they might trigger the underlying predisposition. Some of the environmental risk factors are –
Drug or alcohol Abuse
Extreme stress
Significant loss
Or any other traumatic life event.
WHAT ARE THE TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR BIPOLAR DISORDER?
The treatment of this disorder is not directed at curing it but it is for ‘managing’ the symptoms.
It involves a combination of interventions, including medications and psychosocial therapies.
Medications:
There are a number of medications that can be useful for managing the symptoms of bipolar disorder. The type of medications prescribed depends on the subjective symptoms of the person with the disorder. These may include –
- Mood stabilizers like Lithium
- Antipsychotics
- Antidepressants
- Anti-anxiety medications, etc.
Some of these drugs may have side effects.
Psychotherapy:
Therapy is a crucial part of the treatment for bipolar disorder. There are several therapies that are shown to be effective for this condition. They are:
Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy (IPSRT) :
This therapy is based on the notion that episodes can be triggered by experiencing stressful life events, disturbances in circadian rhythms i.e. sleep-wake cycles, appetite, energy, etc., and problems in personal relationships. So, this therapy focuses on,
- Educating the clients about medication
- Giving them a platform to explore their feelings about the disorder
- Helping them develop an insight and self-realisation
- Managing daily routines of the client including time of sleep, eating meals, etc.
- Paying attention to the positive and negative life events that affect the client’s daily routine.
The goal of this therapy is to stabilize the client’s social rhythms which are largely affected by the disorder.
Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
This therapy is useful in identifying the triggers leading to manic or depressive episodes in bipolar disorder. It focuses on identifying irrational, unhealthy beliefs and behaviors of the clients and replacing them with more rational and healthy ones. So, the client is taught how to perceive a negative event in their lives more positively and react to it in a healthy manner. CBT techniques are hence effective in managing stress and in coping with difficult situations.
Psycho-education :
Psycho-education involves educating the person with the condition and his/her family about the disorder, the potential risks/triggers, and how to effectively deal with the symptoms. It is especially important in treating an individual with bipolar disorder. It helps them understand the nature and characteristics of bipolar disorder and also educate them on why medication adherence is so crucial in controlling the symptoms.
In addition, when the family knows what is going on, they can help the individual by giving him/her maximum support, making a routine plan, encouraging the person to stick with the treatment, etc.
There are also other treatment options like electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) available for people not responding to medications.
WHAT ARE THE TIPS FOR LIVING WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Beyond the treatment plan, there are some lifestyle changes that can help manage the symptoms of bipolar disorder better.
- Have a fix routine for sleeping and eating
- Do regular exercise
- Maintain a daily life record – Keeping a life chart of the positive and negative events occurring on that day, sleeping and eating patterns, mood changes, treatment plan, etc. can help the clinician and the client to track and treat the symptoms better.
- Indulge in Yoga, Meditation or Mindfulness for dealing with stress, and
- Avoid using alcohol, drugs or caffeine.
Though this is a lifelong disorder, with timely and long-term treatment, it is possible to manage the symptoms of this disorder and live a healthy life.
References –
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355961
- Whitbourne, S. K., & Halgin, R. P. (2014). Depressive and Bipolar Disorders. In Abnormal psychology: Clinical perspectives on psychological disorders (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/37010#treatment
- https://www.healthline.com/health/bipolar-disorder#treatment
- https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml#part_145406
- https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/guide/living-healthy-life-with-bipolar#1
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