Bipolar Disorder: Types, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment
Definition of Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is nothing but frequent mood swings. It is a quick change in your mood and energy where you feel depressive about anything and everything. Your relationships can also be a reason for bipolar be it with friends, family, or fiancé. At times, when you are ignored by people you feel lonely, you give a constant thought about all the mishappenings which makes you feel irritated. You might think you are overthinking when your mood changes hit you. If your irritation lasts for more than weeks, then you have bipolar disorder and you must consult your doctor as with time it may get worse. At times your depression comes out in the form of taunts in front of another person, at times in the form of anger and it affects your daily routine as well. Bipolar disorder is an emotional disorder when you do not have control over your mind and heart and you do not have emotional balance in your life, and you are easily at heart in terms of connections or normal well-being.
Types of Bipolar Disorder
There is a total of three types of bipolar disorder, and they vary from each other on different levels of fractions. In all three types, you can observe different manic episodes ranging from irritation to energized mood and from extremely happy to extremely sad mood. Hypomanic episodes are also observed but they are less severe as compared to those of other periods.
- Bipolar Disorder I- it is the type in which your symptoms last for more than 7 days, and the symptoms are so high that you need spot treatment from a doctor. It totally ruins your life. You also feel depression in this kind of disorder with mixed feeling but some people with such kind of feeling can totally live their lives normally.
- Bipolar Disorder II- it is the type in which your symptoms aren’t as much high as in that of Bipolar Disorder I because it is followed in a pattern of hypomanic episodes where you feel depressed. People with this type of disorder will face at least 1 hypomanic episode in their life.
- Cyclothymic Disorder- it is also known as cyclothymia, and it is a type in which your symptoms last for more than two years followed by hypomanic and depressive period. In children’s and adolescents’ symptoms lasts for one year. It is at the lesser level of risk as compared to that of other bipolar disorders.
However, it is not compulsory for one to have the same symptoms as mentioned above. If they experience other different types of symptoms, it might be due to other unspecified bipolar or related disorders.
Series of Symptoms
Do you know that there can be multiple amounts of symptoms while going through bipolar disorder? No, right. Let us now explore them.
People with manic episodes (mood change from happy to irritation) suffer from-
- loss of appetite
- unusual shift in sleeping cycle
- insomnia
- talk at a much faster pace while mixing up things
- irritation
- notable risky thoughts
- thought of doing multiple things together
- lot of crying
- involving in risky things like too much sex, too much alcohol consumption, too much eating and spending lot of money.
They also feel useless and useful at the same time.
People with depressive episodes (mood change from sad to hopeless) suffer from-
- restless
- emptiness
- loneliness and worriedness
- they either sleep too much or don’t sleep at all
- they wake up too early or sleep too early
- they gain weight due to increased eating habits
- they forget about things while speaking and feel the loss of thought and concentration.
- they find it difficult while making a decision
- they are not able to feel pleasures while having sexual activity.
Their mind triggers suicidal thoughts as well.
Diagnosis
Bipolar disorder can only be treated by mental health doctors based upon a person’s symptoms, lifetime activities history, experiences, and, in some cases, family history. The right diagnosis is very important when it comes to mental health as it will only lead to a happy and stress-free life. They evaluate you based on your physical behavior and then examine you through various tests. It is not necessary for you to feel symptoms before checking upon a doctor, the right time is when you feel depressed as a person requires someone more at that time.
Tip- Always prefer a licensed doctor such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or clinical social worker who has experience in the field of diagnosing and treating bipolar disorder.
Other Condition
Some bipolar disorder symptoms can be similar to other illnesses, which can make it difficult to make a diagnosis. Many people may have bipolar disorder but in form of other disorders like anxiety disorder, substance use disorder, or an eating disorder. People with bipolar disorder also face challenging problems like increased thyroid disease, migraine headaches, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other physical illnesses.
Psychosis: Hallucinations or delusions are a few types of psychotic symptoms. For example:
People with psychotic symptoms during a manic episode have very unrealistic opinions that they are famous and have a lot of money. They also have to feel that they owe special powers.
People having psychotic symptoms during a depressive episode try to convince themselves that they have a financial crisis. They feel that they have committed a crime and have a serious illness.
To conclude, people with bipolar disorder who have psychotic symptoms are incorrectly diagnosed with schizophrenia at times. When people have symptoms of bipolar disorder and experience periods of psychosis that are not related to mood episodes may be considered as schizoaffective disorder.
Anxiety: People with bipolar disorder are commonly diagnosed with anxiety disorder.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): It is common for people with bipolar disorder to also have ADHD.
Overuse of Drugs or Alcohol: People with bipolar disorder increase alcohol or drugs consumption. They engage in high-risk behaviors like suicide at times. These negative things affect people in their vicinity, and it is important to consult a doctor at an early stage if any such kind of behavior is observed.
Eating Disorders: People tend to eat way too much or wat too little when they are suffering from bipolar disorder.
Risk Factors
Effect on the brain- people with bipolar disorder have different opinions and different brain cells as compared to that of a normal human being. They function in different ways. They are more self-oriented than being social-oriented. They tend to overpower things if not they feel lonely. Currently, people with bipolar disorder are treated according to the symptoms they are going through not through the brain functions. So, more research is required by scientists to come out for better conclusive treatment.
Effect on genetics- your genes can be a big reason for bipolar disorder. Family history plays a major role in everyone’s lives. The involvement of many genes or no genes either can be a reason for bipolar disorder.
Treatment
It has different types of therapies ranging from medications to therapies to stimulation. So, recognizing an effective plan is very important.
Medications like sleeping pills, antipsychotic pills, and mood stabilizers can help you in coping up with bipolar disorder but you should never consider any medications until or unless it is prescribed by your doctor.
Psychotherapy is nothing but talking so it is known as talk therapy. It helps the person in an emotional and thoughtful manner when he does not find any support. During the procedure, a person is taught about psychoeducation and executed with cognitive-behavioral theory including interpersonal and social rhythm therapy (IPSRT) and family-focused therapy which is a newly launched scientific theory.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): It is a brain stimulation procedure that gives relief from symptoms of bipolar disorder. A person is supposed to go through a series of treatment sessions over several weeks under general anesthesia.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): It is the latest approach to brain stimulation that uses magnetic waves. It is performed without anesthesia for most days for 1 month. It is yet to disclose whether it is helpful or not.
Other Natural Remedies
Regular Exercise: Exercising regularly like jogging, brisk walking, swimming, or bicycling, helps with depression and anxiety, promotes better sleep, and is healthy for your heart and brain. Yoga can also be performed as it relaxes your brain cells and helps in concentration and promotes patience.
Keeping a Regular track: to make the treatment work it is very important for the patient and doctor to become friends as during the process as well mood changes can occur. Doctor and patient must talk openly about patient’s concerns and choices. Keeping a track of records of daily mood symptoms, treatments, sleep patterns, and life events can help patients and health care providers track and treat bipolar disorder over time.
