Bipolar Maniac Depressive Symptoms

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depressive disorder, causes sufferers to experience emotional high and low periods. These mood swings can be serious, resulting in risky or aggressive behavior and severe bouts of depression. While bipolar disorder symptoms can vary from person to person, there are several common identifiers that doctors look for when diagnosing this disorder.

Identification

• Bipolar disorder is distinguished by two distinct phases: a manic phase and a depressive phase. During the manic phase, you may feel extremely optimistic or happy and feel that there is nothing you can't do. Your thoughts may race and you may have trouble sleeping or concentrating. One of the most dangerous aspects of this phase is the feeling that risky activities you wouldn't normally consider doing seem perfectly safe. Going on a spending spree, having sex with strangers or engaging in drug use may sound like a wonderful idea in the midst of the manic phase. The depressive phase usually follows the manic phase and is characterized by sadness, guilt, depression, anxiety, lack of interest in anything, fatigue, problems concentrating and even thoughts of suicide in extreme cases.

Types

• Bipolar I disorder is the more serious form of the disorder and is characterized by severe mood swings. Most people experience both mania and depression, although a few only experience mania. The manic phase of bipolar I disorder can last from a few days to several months and may include delusions. A delusion is an irrational belief in something that is proven to be false.
  Bipolar II disorder is the milder form, usually characterized by episodes of depression with occasional episodes of a milder type of mania known as "hypomania." Delusions are not a part of this disorder. You will be diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder if you suffer from depression and have had at least one manic episode in your life.
  Cyclothymic disorder is a milder form of Bipolar II disorder. If you have this disorder, you will experience low-level depression and periods of high creativity, energy or irritability. Some people with cyclothymic disorder will have more depressive episodes, while others will experience more mania or irritability. There is some disagreement among psychiatrists as to whether this disorder really should be classified as a personality disorder, but for now it remains a bipolar disorder.
  Rapid-cycling bipolar disorder occurs when four or more episodes are experienced in a one year period. It is possible to experience multiple episodes in a day or a week with this form of the disorder.

Features

• Bipolar behaviors are usually first exhibited in either late adolescence or the early adult years. If only mild symptoms are experienced, the disorder is hard to diagnose and it may be years until a diagnosis is made. Many cases go untreated due to the stigma of mental illness that persists in society. Long-term treatment is the key to controlling the disease. The temptation is strong to stop taking medication when you start to feel better, but as there is no cure for the disorder, symptoms will only reoccur.

Considerations

• Psychiatrists have found that a combination of medication and counseling offers the best solution for controlling the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Electroconvulsive therapy, also known as shock therapy, is used for people who don't respond to medication or therapy. Antipsychotic drugs are often prescribed to treat the manic phase. Mood stabilizers, used to control the incidence of mood swings, may also be recommended. Lithium is one of the more popular mood stabilizers prescribed. Anti-depressants are usually not recommended because they can trigger manic episodes and even the rapid-cycling form of the disorder.

Warning

• If you are taking lithium to treat bipolar disorder, make sure that you doctor orders regular blood tests. Long-term lithium use can damage the kidneys and lower your thyroid function. Blood tests will let your doctor know if your dosage should be changed because the drug is negatively affecting your body.