Bipolar Disorder: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Mental illnesses have become very common today. Nowadays, Cases of depression are increasing rapidly.

In today's modern life, everyone is busy with itself. They are not aware of what their friends, family, relatives, and close dear ones are going through. Today even people don't want to share their problems as before. They keep fighting on their own. That tension and stress sometimes take the form of depression. In which the mind of a human becomes their own enemy.

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.

Bipolar Disorder = Mania + Depression

Unlike ordinary mood swings, the mood changes of bipolar disorder are so intense that they can interfere with your job or school performance, damage your relationships, and disrupt your ability to function in daily life.

The first manic or depressive episode of bipolar disorder usually occurs in the teenage years or early adulthood. The symptoms can be subtle and confusing. Many people with bipolar disorder are overlooked or misdiagnosed. It results in unnecessary suffering.

Since bipolar disorder tends to worsen without treatment, it’s important to learn what the symptoms look like. In order to solve the problem, it is necessary to first identify the problem and get your life back on track. It has been seen that many times people are complaining about this, but they do not really know that it is a disease and they can get treatment.

Other Names:

Manic depression, Manic-depressive disorder, Manic-depressive illness, Bipolar mood disorder, and Bipolar affective disorder.

Types of Bipolar Disorder:

There are three types of bipolar disorder. All three types involve clear changes in mood, energy, and activity levels. These moods range from periods of extremely “up,” elated, irritable, or energized behavior (known as manic episodes) to very “down,” sad, indifferent, or hopeless periods (known as depressive episodes). Less severe manic periods are known as hypomanic episodes.

1. Bipolar I disorder involves periods of severe mood episodes from mania to depression.

2. Bipolar II disorder is a milder form of mood elevation, involving milder episodes of hypomania that alternate with periods of severe depression.

3. Cyclothymic Disorder describes brief periods of hypomanic symptoms alternating with brief periods of depressive symptoms that are not as extensive or as long-lasting as seen in full hypomanic episodes or full depressive episodes.

4. Mixed Features refers to the occurrence of simultaneous symptoms of opposite mood polarities during manic, hypomanic, or depressive episodes. It's marked by high energy, sleeplessness, and racing thoughts. At the same time, the person may feel hopeless, despairing, irritable, and suicidal.

5. Rapid-cycling is a term that describes having four or more mood episodes within a 12-month period. Episodes must last for some minimum number of days in order to be considered distinct episodes. A pattern of rapid cycling can occur at any time in the course of illness, although some researchers believe that it may be more common at later points in the lifetime duration of illness. Women appear more likely than men to have rapid cycling. A rapid-cycling pattern increases the risk of severe depression and suicide attempts.

The majority of people with manic depression experience so much low (depression) and high (manic) phases that their quality of life is significantly impaired. This greatly affects their ability to live normally, hold relationships, take care of their bodies, work, and communicate with others.

Signs & Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder:

Throughout a given time period, those with bipolar disorder experience very different symptoms, depending on whether they are currently in a manic phase or on the other side of the pendulum in a depressive phase.

Common manic symptoms include:

very happy moods and excitement
hallucinations/psychosis or delusions (seeing and hearing things that don’t actually exist, sometimes thought of as “increased creativity”)
at times paranoia and extreme anxiety
irritability, aggression and sometimes rage
Insomnia and trouble sleeping normally
strong motivation and ideas related to new plans
loss of appetite and sometimes weight loss
fast-talking and fidgeting
spending more money than usual on affordable things or spending lots of energy/time on unnecessary projects

Common depression signs and symptoms include:

very low moods, including feeling worthless, insignificant, and hopeless
for some suicidal thoughts can occur
fatigue or lethargy (even though many people tend to sleep for a long duration during this phase).
low motivation.
trouble concentrating, working, making decisions, and remembering things.
loss of interest or enjoyment in activities and hobbies.
a higher likelihood of abusing alcohol and drugs.

Causes of Bipolar Disorder:

The exact cause of bipolar disorder isn’t known, but a combination of genetics, environment, and altered brain structure and chemistry may play a role.

 Chemical imbalances and brain functioning: The brain’s physical structure and chemical activities affect someone’s moods and are related to the onset of mental disorders, including manic depression. Some research has shown that brains of people with bipolar disorder are different from those of healthy people, sometimes showing “multi-dimensional impairments” that are similar to those seen in people with schizophrenia (another disorder that features mood swings). It’s possible that ongoing inflammation also worsens these structural and chemical changes.

  Genetics (Hereditary Components): Like depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders, there’s a genetic component to bipolar disorder, and it tends to run in families. According to the National Institute of Mental health, people with certain genes are more likely to develop bipolar disorder than others, although genetics alone are not likely to cause the condition.

 Lifestyle/Upbringing: Research using MRI brain scans has found that the part of the brain called the Prefrontal Cortex in people with bipolar disorder tends to be smaller and less active compared to adults who don’t have bipolar disorder. Psychiatric experts still have a lot to learn about how different upbringings and environments change brain structures, but it seems that someone’s recurring negative/fearful thoughts and behaviors can actually physically change the brain’s chemical channels through neuroplasticity This increases the odds of experiencing harmful moods more often in the future and developing mood-related disorders.

Other causes can be psychological trauma, Hormonal Issues, and Stress.

Medications:

A number of medications are used to treat bipolar disorder. The types and doses of medications prescribed are based on your particular symptoms.

Medications may include:

Mood stabilizers. You'll typically need mood-stabilizing medication to control manic or hypomanic episodes. Examples of mood stabilizers include lithium (Lithobid), valproic acid (Depakene), divalproex sodium (Depakote), carbamazepine (Tegretol, Equetro, others) and lamotrigine (Lamictal).
Antipsychotics. If symptoms of depression or mania persist in spite of treatment with other medications, adding an antipsychotic drug such as olanzapine (Zyprexa), risperidone (Risperdal), quetiapine (Seroquel), aripiprazole (Abilify), ziprasidone (Geodon), lurasidone (Latuda) or asenapine (Saphris) may help. Your doctor may prescribe some of these medications alone or along with a mood stabilizer.
Antidepressants. Your doctor may add an antidepressant to help manage depression. Because an antidepressant can sometimes trigger a manic episode, it's usually prescribed along with a mood stabilizer or antipsychotic.
Antidepressant-antipsychotic. The medication Symbyax combines the antidepressant fluoxetine and the antipsychotic olanzapine. It works as a depression treatment and a mood stabilizer.
Anti-anxiety medications. Benzodiazepines may help with anxiety and improve sleep but are usually used on a short-term basis.

Lifestyle and home remedies:

You'll probably need to make lifestyle changes to stop cycles of behavior that worsen your bipolar disorder. Here are some steps to take:

Quit drinking or using recreational drugs. One of the biggest concerns with bipolar disorder is the negative consequences of risk-taking behavior and drug or alcohol abuse. Get help if you have trouble quitting on your own.
Form healthy relationships. Surround yourself with people who are a positive influence. Friends and family members can provide support and help you watch for warning signs of mood shifts.
Create a healthy routine. Having a regular routine for sleeping, eating and physical activity can help balance your moods. Check with your doctor before starting any exercise program. Eat a healthy diet. If you take lithium, talk with your doctor about appropriate fluid and salt intake. If you have trouble sleeping, talk to your doctor or mental health professional about what you can do.
Check first before taking other medications. Call the doctor who's treating you for bipolar disorder before you take medications prescribed by another doctor or any over-the-counter supplements or medications. Sometimes other medications trigger episodes of depression or mania or may interfere with medications you're taking for bipolar disorder.
Consider keeping a mood chart. Keeping a record of your daily moods, treatments, sleep, activities, and feelings may help identify triggers, effective treatment options, and when treatment needs to be adjusted.