Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is perhaps one of the most tragic mood disorders,
because it
virtually taunts with the affected person’s mind. Bipolar disorder
(also known
as manic-depressive disorder) is a mental condition in which the
person
alternates between feelings of mania and depression (Kalat, 614).
These feelings
are extreme opposites, and thus create tremendous mental and
physical stress on
the person affected. This unfortunate disorder affects one
to two percent of the
adult population. Before bipolar disorder can be fully
understood, the two main
mood stages must first be identified. During an
endless bout with bipolar
disorder, a person experiences many stages of mania
and depression. Different
symptoms of mania include an increase in energy or
activity, rapid speech,
excessive excitement, extreme irritability and
distractibility, a decrease in
the amount of sleep needed, uncommonly poor
judgment, an increased sex drive,
denial, overspending, and high-risk
behavior. All of these symptoms may not be
prevalent in a bipolar disorder
patient; however, the more severe the case, the
more likely all symptoms may
occur. A depressed episode includes the opposite
characteristics, including a
persistent sad or empty feeling, decreased energy,
loss of interest in
activities normally enjoyed (sex), difficulty concentrating,
change in
appetite or body weight, and thoughts of suicide. There are also
two
less-severe stages a bipolar disorder patient may go through, which are
mixed
episodes and hypomanic episodes. A mixed episode contains
characteristics of
both manic and depressive stages occurring at the same
time. Mixed episodes are
the most difficult to treat, because different types
of medicines are necessary
for different episodes. A hypomanic episode is
characterized by less severe,
less constraining symptoms of mania. Doctors
often overlook hypomanic episodes,
which too often leads to misdiagnosing.
When a person experiences a combination
of four episodes within a year, the
person is considered to be going through
rapid cycling. There are two types
of bipolar disorder. The first is considered
the classic, more popular form,
and is considered "Bipolar I Disorder." This
version of the disorder is when
the person goes through full manic or mixed
episode, and usually also goes
through episodes of complete depression. The
second type of the disorder is
Bipolar II Disorder, in which the person has had
at least one hypomanic
episode, and at least one complete depressive episode,
yet never goes through
a full manic or a full mixed episode. Treating a patient
of bipolar disorder
takes a while. Currently, doctors prescribe three different
types of
medication to bipolar patients: mood stabilizers, antipsychotics,
and
antidepressants. Often times, patients need combinations of the drugs,
which
take a while to decipher, so it often takes about a month to find the
correct
prescription for someone. Mood stabilizers are mainly used for
episodes of mania
or hypomania, and sometimes for mixed episodes. Mood
stabilizers are also
utilized to suppress future manic breakouts. Lithium
pills are a common medicine
for the suppression of manic episodes, however it
can be considered dangerous.
If too little a dosage is taken, it is
ineffective, and if too large a dosage is
taken, blurry vision and nausea
occurs. If used correctly Lithium pills can be
very effective, and can fight
off manic episodes for years at a time.
Antipsychotic drugs are used to
suppress severe manic breakouts, and act
quickly. Antidepressants, not
surprisingly, are prescribed during the depressive
stage of bipolar disorder.
Antidepressants include SSRIs (Selective Serotonin
Re-uptake Inhibitors),
Tricyclics, MAOIs (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors), and
Bupropoin. Usually,
when an antidepressant in prescribed, a mood stabilizer is
prescribed along
with it, to prevent a possible sway from the depressive stage
straight to a
manic stage. If the prescribed medications do not work, and the
case is
severe, sometimes ECT (Electro convulsive Therapy) is used to shock
the
patient out of his or her depressed stage. Currently, scientists
and
psychotherapists are trying to determine how bipolar disorder is caused.
Studies
have determined that bipolar can run in families, so the disorder is
genetic.
Unfortunately, though, doctors have not yet found any other
causes.
Psychotherapists often do psychoanalyses of bipolar patients, to
find if
anything that occurred earlier in their lives led to the disorder,
but no
concrete evidence has yet been
found.
Bibliography
Fagan, James W. Introduction to Psychology.
California: Wadsworth, 1999.
Long, Phillip W. Bipolar Disorder. Home
page. Oct. 1994. http://www.mentalhealth.com
What is Bipolar Disorder?
Home page. www.bipolar.com/whatisBPD/intro.htm