Bipolar Disorder in Adults

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness marked by an instability in moods, from depression to mania. Bipolar mood swings are different from normal day-to-day mood fluctuations, as they tend to be more extreme. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 5.7 million Americans, or 2.6 percent of the US population, suffer from bipolar disorder.

What is bipolar disorder?

• Manic depression (bipolar disorder) is a mental illness characterized by extreme mood swings called poles. In bipolar disorder, you switch swiftly from mania (highs) to depression (lows). If you have bipolar disorder, you may find that these symptoms last hours, days or even months. Bipolar disorder may disguise itself in your teenage years as a form of depression. One characteristic of bipolar disorder is that men generally start out with bouts of mania, unlike women, who usually begin with depression.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of bipolar disorder are divided into two categories: mania (highs) and depression (lows).

  Symptoms of mania include being overly optimistic, having excessive self-confidence, increased irritability, aggression, conceit, talking fast, having a flood of ideas, becoming easily distracted, being reckless , having delusions and hallucinations and an increased sex drive.

  Symptoms of depression include loss of appetite, unexplained crying spells, irritability, fatigue or insomnia, feelings of worthlessness, loss of concentration, aches and pains and thoughts of suicide.

Diagnosis and Types

• Doctors diagnose Bipolar Disorder using a manual called The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DMS). Within the DSM are guidelines used to determine which type of bipolar disorder you have. There are four types of Bipolar disorder: Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Bipolar not otherwise specified (BP-NOS) and Cythothymia.

  Bipolar I is suspected if you have had one or more mixed episodes of mania and depression. These episodes continue daily or at least once weekly.

  Bipolar II is marked by having one or more episodes of hypomania and depression. Hypomania is a milder version of mania.

  BP-NOS is determined when you cannot be diagnosed with BP1 or BP2. Your mood swings will be too mild to describe as depressive or manic, but will be considered BP-NOS if it is outside of your normal everyday behavior.

  The mildest form of bipolar disorder is Cythothymia. The episodes of mania and depression experienced with Cythothymia are not as severe as other forms of bipolar disorder. Episodes of Cythothymia alternate over a period of two years.

Treatments

• Although Bipolar Disorders aren't curable, they are treatable. The recommended course of treatment is a mixture of both medication and psychotherapy (talk therapy). This treats current symptoms, helps prevent further episodes of mania and depression, and keeps you from developing a more severe form of Bipolar Disorder.

  You may have to try several different medications to treat your Bipolar Disorder. Since certain medications tend to works for some people and not pothers. For this reason, your Doctor or Psychiatrist may ask you to keep a journal tracking your symptoms while you are on the medication. This way they can see which medications work right for you.

  Mood stabilizing drugs are the first to be prescribed by your doctor if you have any type of bipolar disorder, and can be continued for over a year. Another medication prescribed is Lithium. Lithium has proven effective in preventing bouts of mania and depression; it also carries FDA approval. Other medications include anticonvulsants such as Valproic Acid, Lamictal and Topamax, also antidepressants and atypical antipsychotic medications.

  Psychotherapy helps educate patients about bipolar disorder, and provides the emotional support needed to treat the disease. Therapies such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) help by teaching you to change your negative thoughts and actions into better ones.

Prevention

• There is no way to prevent Bipolar Disorder, and there are still studies being conducted to find out the cause of this mental illness. According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, more than two-thirds of people with the disorder have at least one close relative with major depression. This has led scientists to believe that the condition may be linked mainly to genetics.