Category: Mental Health

Exploring the Various Bipolar Disorders

Bipolar disorders are not all alike. There are even specialized categories for the bipolar disorders which doctors use to distinguish one kind from another. This makes it easier for them to discuss the particular types of problems a patient might be having. A fairly benign and often overlooked member of the family of bipolar disorders is hypomania. It is overlooked for good reason. It is seldom a problem for the person who has it. It may even increase his chances for success by making him more outgoing, quick thinking, and optimistic. Treatment is rarely sought and seldom needed.

The most common disorder to be thought of as one of the bipolar disorders is bipolar I. This encompasses all those who suffer from alternating manic and depressed states. Those with bipolar I go from having the highest opinion of themselves to having little regard for their own well being. They go from periods of fast and outlandish activity to times of desperation and thoughts of death.

Of all the bipolar disorders, bipolar I is perhaps the most difficult to treat. Mood stabilizers such as lithium or anticonvulsants are useful. If depression, or especially mania, turns into psychosis, an antipsychotic medication is called for to bring the patient back to reality.

The difficulty comes in treating simple depression in bipolar I. An antidepressant would seem to be in order but, for the person who may become manic, it may be dangerous. It could start a cycle of rapid changes from depression to mania and back again in relatively short order. In the bipolar disorders this problem is most prevalent in bipolar I.

Dual diagnosis is another of the bipolar disorders. This is the combination of any bipolar disorder with alcohol and/or drug abuse. Most often, the abuse, in this case, of alcohol or drugs comes after the onset of one of the bipolar disorders.

These substances are used by the person with bipolar disorder to alleviate the symptoms of the illness. A stimulant may seem to help a person to overcome depression, and a depressant, such as alcohol may be thought to lessen the over activity of mania, for example. In reality, the abuse of drugs and/or alcohol only makes the episodes more severe in the end. This is not an answer for those with bipolar disorders.

Less obvious, but also considered one of the bipolar disorders, is MDD, or major depression. People with MDD spend most of the time that they are ill being depressed. They may have minor and short manic episodes, but the depression dominates. For these people, life is grim, unsatisfying, and perhaps seems unbearable. Episodes of depression for these people may last for months or sometimes years.

Treatment for these people is usually less complicated. They may respond well to antidepressants, talk therapy, and even to something as simple as exercise. There is less chance of triggering a manic episode, so treatment is less risky in these bipolar disorders.

There are many bipolar disorders. There are also many ways to treat these bipolar disorders. The trick is to match a disorder to the correct treatment and to encourage the patient to follow that treatment to the best of his or her ability. Having words to describe the different bipolar disorders makes it that much easier for the doctors and others to do their parts.

All About Bipolar Disorder Treatment

Bipolar disorder treatment is not new. Men of medicine were treating for it before they even knew what it was. Yet every year new medications and methodologies are added to the bipolar disorder treatment.

Although first recognized in the second century A.D., bipolar disorder has struggled as a diagnosis to become accepted. Bipolar disorder treatment up to and through the 1960’s, if any, was usually comprised of either locking the patient away or leaving him or her to fend for him or herself.

In the 1970’s manic-depression, as it was then called, began to become seen as an accepted diagnosis and therefore, bipolar disorder treatment began in earnest. At that time, laws were enacted and standards set to help those who sought bipolar disorder treatment.

In bipolar disorder treatment, the first thought may be the use of medications. They are, actually, a powerful tool in the management of the disorder. One only needs look at the vast array of medications that is available to see that medication has been extensively used in bipolar disorder treatment.

Lithium carbonate was the first major breakthrough in the medications for bipolar disorder treatment. It belongs to a class of medications called “mood stabilizers”. These medications help to prevent or ease manic episodes. They also help to ward off the extremes of depression, such as suicide.

Bipolar disorder treatment may also include the use of other mood stabilizers that were originally used as anticonvulsants. These have been shown to have a great effect on mood. Some of these, such as valproic acid and carbamazepine, are tried and true. Lamotrigine, gabapentin, and topiramate have also been used for this purpose but not conclusively proven effective.

Caution must be taken in the use of antidepressant therapy as a part of bipolar disorder treatment. Mood stabilizers are usually tried first, because antidepressants can trigger manic episodes or rapid-cycling. If an antidepressant must be used, there are certain ones which are less likely to cause these problems. One of these is bupropion.

The treatment of psychotic symptoms has evolved quickly in modern times. At first, there were powerful anti-psychotics. The first of these were said to put the mind in a “mental strait-jacket”. They virtually stopped all thought. They also had an intense side effects known as tardive dyskinesia. This causes permanent neurological damages. Researchers, then were trying to find alternatives that would cause less, or even no, damage in bipolar disorder treatment.

Other anti-psychotics were tried, and found to have fewer neurological effects. The newest of these medications are actually relatively safe when used as prescribed. They are also very helpful in bipolar disorder treatment both in psychotic episodes and even in simple mania. Some of the newer ones are risperidone and olanzapine.

Talk therapy is also used in bipolar disorder treatment. It can be useful to help a person to recognize and deal with symptoms of the disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help a person to identify destructive patterns of thinking and behavior, and help him or her to act in ways that will have a positive influence on his or her disease process.

Other types of talk therapy are used in bipolar disorder treatment to help a person to deal with the devastating consequences of the illness and to explore the history of that person’s disease. Talk therapy has been used successfully in bipolar disorder treatment.

All of these components constitute a lifelong process. Medication and talk therapy can contribute to effective bipolar disorder treatment today. No one knows what science will bring to bipolar disorder treatment in the future.

Recognizing Bipolar Disorder Symptoms

There may come a time when a person needs to determine if a loved one needs to seek help for his or her problems. In fact, there may come a time for many when it is important to be able to recognize bipolar disorder symptoms.

Bipolar disorder symptoms fall into three main categories. These are manic symptoms, psychotic symptoms, and depressive bipolar disorder symptoms. If several of these symptoms are occurring, it may be time to go in for a consultation.

Manic bipolar disorder symptoms are numerous. They all share a certain feeling, though. Everything is faster, grander, and generally bigger than life. A person in a manic state may be much more active than usual. He or she may think and talk faster than he or she usually does. Everything about that person is exaggerated, including his or her overwhelming feeling of self importance.

Such a person may have grand schemes and adventures in the works. When these plans don’t pan out, that person will generally put the blame on some extraneous factor if, in fact, he or she takes the time to consider it at all. Usually, it’s simply off to the next idea. These are not just whimsical behaviors, but are actually bipolar disorder symptoms.

When manic, people tend to be reckless. They can end up doing things that effect their personal relationships or may go so far as landing them in jail. This may be seen by someone who is not alert to bipolar disorder symptoms as simply a problem with their conduct. The truth is that those people probably need treatment to do better. It isn’t just a matter of making up one’s mind to do the right thing.

There are also physical bipolar disorder symptoms of mania that may be quite obvious. A person who feels little or no need for food or sleep may turn out to be in a manic state. While some may be able to function this way, at least for awhile, most of us need rest and sustenance to maintain ourselves.

Psychotic bipolar disorder symptoms come mostly with mania, but can come often with mixed moods and occasionally with depressive bipolar disorder symptoms. Psychosis merely refers to a break with reality. This can come in the form of hallucinations, both auditory (hearing voices, etc.) and visual. Delusions, or false beliefs, are also bipolar disorder symptoms. For example, a person may falsely believe that he or she is actually some famous historical figure.

During depression, bipolar disorder symptoms can often be easily seen if one is willing to look carefully. Apathy may be a sign of depression, but other clues are even more telling. Indecisiveness and low self esteem seem to go hand in hand in depressive bipolar symptoms.

Physical bipolar disorder symptoms of depression include fatigue, weight gain or loss, and eating or sleeping more or less than usual. The person who is displaying bipolar disorder symptoms of depression seems to be telling the world that he or she simply doesn’t care enough take good physical care.

One should never look for trouble where there is none. There is no need to be afraid of any slight variation in the moods or habits of a loved one. However, if things just don’t seem right, it doesn’t hurt to be able to recognize bipolar disorder symptoms.

Concerns of Bipolar Disorder Self Injury

In bipolar disorder, there is sometimes concern about bipolar disorder self injury. This can take many shapes, but is always serious.

One form of bipolar disorder self injury that is coming most recently into the public consciousness is self mutilation, or “cutting”. This practice is found in people with other diagnoses, too. Bipolar people are just some of those who self injure.

Cutting, burning or other self harming behaviors are often seen in adolescent girls and others, even in men. Much of this is a part of bipolar disorder self injury.

Although people who self mutilate are often depressed or beyond that, suicidal, these acts are not intended as suicide attempts. They are often desperate acts of those who feel out of control, worthless, or angry. It is no wonder, given the similar symptoms, that this is often a case of bipolar disorder self injury.

Suicide, of course, is the most extreme form of bipolar disorder self injury. Before suicide, there may be suicidal ideations, plans for suicide, and possibly many attempts before suicide is committed, if it ever is. In any case, all threats of bipolar disorder self injury should be taken seriously.

Suicidal thoughts may cloud the thinking of a depressed person to the extent that he or she can think of nothing else. It may seem that the world would be better off without them, or that they can show others that they should have been treated better. At this stage there is concern of bipolar disorder self injury, but the ideas are just at a simmer.

When a person begins to make plans, the danger of bipolar disorder self injury becomes more imminent. A person may make elaborate plans for years. Another person may only think of a plausible way to go about it. The trouble is that either of these people may at any time actually commit suicide. It is never easy to predict the likelihood of bipolar disorder self injury.

Many times a person’s suicidal tendencies will not be noted unless an attempt is made. While some attempts seem more serious than others, a wise person will treat all attempts seriously. More serious attempts could be those where a note was found, or the outcome was more certain in comparison to other sorts of attempts. Bipolar disorder self injury is always possible in these situations.

Whatever the method of attempt at bipolar disorder self injury, there is seriousness attached to it. After all, people who have attempted suicide in the past are 40 times more likely to commit suicide than those who never have attempted it before.

If a person begins to make final arrangements, or to set his or her affairs in order for no particular reason, suicide may be on his or her mind. It could be as simple as giving away possessions, or as complex as making financial arrangements. If this is suddenly seen in a bipolar individual, it should be determined whether or not that person is in danger of bipolar disorder self injury.

Many thoughts, plans, or attempts actually do end in suicide. 11 percent of deaths in the US are as a result of suicide. More women than men attempt suicide, but 80 percent of the deaths by suicide are by males. More and more adolescents are committing suicide every year. Bipolar disorder self injury, then, is a distinct and growing problem.

It is difficult enough dealing with the affective, social, legal, and physical consequences of the disease. Self harm and suicide make attention to bipolar disorder self injury most necessary.