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Types of Bipolar 1

Three main subtypes of Bipolar 1 exist. They are dependent upon your or a loved one's condition during the active phase of the disorder. The first is Bipolar 1 Disorder, Depressed Episode. The second is Bipolar 1 Disorder, Manic Episode. The third is Bipolar 1 Disorder, Mixed Episode. Doctors may also use a fourth subtype, Bipolar 1 Disorder, Unknown. This is reserved for bipolar patients who are mostly in remission from disease symptoms through medication.

  1. Criteria for a Bipolar 1 Disorder, Depressed Episode

    • These symptoms classify Bipolar 1 depression, and these symptoms must be present nearly all day for a two-week period. A persistent depressed mood, that is, feeling empty or sad, a loss of interest in usual activities, insomnia, hypersomia or sleeping too much, fatigue and lack of energy, poor ability to concentrate, feelings of guilt or helplessness, and recurrent thoughts of death are the most prominent symptoms.

    Criteria for a Bipolar 1 Disorder, Manic Episode

    • These symptoms classify Bipolar 1 mania, and they must be present nearly all day for a two-week period. Inflated self-esteem presents as a clear feeling that everything is within the bipolar patient's power. Goal-directed behavior entails proceeding with activities that obviously will never really be possible to accomplish within certain time limits. Such behavior includes spending sprees, engaging in very highly risky business propositions, and excessive and often extra-marital affairs. The sufferer often feels quite justified in carrying out these things, without concern for others or any associated feelings of guilt for what this behavior is causing love ones.

    Criteria for a Bipolar 1 Disorder, Mixed Episode

    • The criteria for both Manic Episode and Depressed Episode exist in a combined form in the Mixed Episode. These symptoms must be present for every day during a one-week period or longer.

    What Causes Bipolar Disorder?

    • If one or both of the parents suffered Bipolar 1 Disorder, it is highly likely that it will manifest in their offspring. Complicating factors are a person's predisposition to the disorder because of their genetic makeup, and the particular life events and stress the sufferer is exposed to. Each stressor builds upon the last until the gene is finally expressed. Each additional stressor encountered only serves to worsen the condition permanently without medical intervention.

    Bipolar 1 Diagnosis

    • Because initially episodes are sporadic, the treatment is rather insidious and difficult to diagnosis. Everyone has up and down moods, but with bipolar sufferers, sadness and elation become severe and affect the lives of those around them in negative ways. Stay in touch with your family doctor, and be frank but not discouraging to the sufferer, for they rarely know their actions are out of a normal range.

    Treatment

    • Several medications, depending on the sufferer's drug tolerance and the effectiveness of the drugs themselves, may be taken over a trial-and-error period until the right combination is found to alleviate symptoms. This period can be either very satisfying to all concerned or very disheartening if the first combination does not relieve the symptoms. Patience is a true virtue here, but a successful combination will reduce or eliminate the symptoms. These medications must be taken regularly, even if the sufferer is feeling normal again, for stopping them may bring on the symptoms and make them harder to treat.

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