Bipolar Disorder - Everything You Must Know
What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder is an illness with two poles, cycling
between periods of feeling very high and periods of feeling very low.
It affects about 1% of the population, but it's not
always easy to spot. It often begins in late adolescence or early adulthood but
can show itself in children as young as five years old. It typically cycles in
a person's twenties or thirties, making it difficult to diagnose when starting
treatment in older adults.
Some people with bipolar disorder have just one or two
periods of mania that are shorter than usual, while others have many episodes
over many years. Some people only experience depression without manic episodes
while some experience both together at the same time.
What causes bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder often runs in families, suggesting
that genes may play a role. It also can be triggered by stressful life events,
such as the death of a loved one, physical or sexual abuse in childhood, moving
away from family and friends for school or work, or financial difficulties.
Substance abuse can make bipolar disorder worse or start it for the first time.
Sometimes people wait years to get diagnosed with
bipolar disorder because they are told their symptoms are due to another
medical condition.
What are the symptoms of bipolar disorder?
People with bipolar disorder experience extreme swings
in their mood, energy level, behaviour, and thinking.
Mood symptoms include:
·
Highs (mania): Feelings of grandiosity or
inflated self-esteem.
·
Lows (depression): Feelings of loss of interest,
sadness, or hopelessness.
·
Feeling blue for no apparent reason.
·
Loss of energy and motivation.
·
Excessively irritable.
·
Difficulty sleeping and sleeping too much, too
little, or too much at different times.
·
Sadness that doesn't let up even when things go
well for someone with bipolar disorder. Psychotic symptoms such as
hallucinations or delusions.
·
Unusual sleep patterns like staying up all
night.
How is bipolar disorder diagnosed?
Doctors and other mental health specialists can make a
diagnosis of bipolar disorder after:
·
asking about symptoms and family history;
·
talking with the patient about symptoms; and/or
·
doing a physical exam, blood tests, and other
medical tests.
The doctor may refer the person to a psychiatrist or
psychologist for further evaluation. This evaluation may include more
interviews with the patient, friends, or family members. The psychiatrist may
also do an electroencephalogram (EEG) test to measure electrical activity in
the brain, which can indicate problems. A psychiatrist uses this tool along
with information from the patient's medical history to decide what's best for
treatment.
How is bipolar disorder Treated?
Drug therapy: the person may start with a mood
stabilizer such as valproic acid (Depakote, generic) or lithium. A mood
stabilizer helps prevent the periods of mania and depression that often occur
in bipolar disorder. It can also help people with severe mania and prevent the
more dangerous fluctuations of energy and behaviour that occur at times of
depression.
While mood stabilizers may begin working right away,
they take about 2 to 4 weeks before their effects are seen. This is called the
therapeutic window. Many people experience a reduction in symptoms within the
first few days of treatment with a mood stabilizer, but it usually takes about
two weeks for the full effect to be felt.
The person's doctor may add another drug called a
second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) to help them with their depression and
other symptoms. These drugs include quetiapine (Seroquel), ziprasidone
(Geodon), and aripiprazole (Abilify).
Antidepressant: groups of mental health
professionals that work with bipolar disorder recommend adding an
antidepressant such as fluoxetine (Prozac) or sertraline (Zoloft) to treat what
is called "refractory" depression—a depression that doesn't improve
with the addition of a mood stabilizer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the statistics on Bipolar disorder?
In the United States, bipolar disorder is now among the
most common mental health disorders, with a lifetime risk of up to 3%, or 3 out
of 100 people. Bipolar disorder often goes undiagnosed, underdiagnosed, and
undertreated because many people have their first symptoms during early
adulthood without being aware of them at all.
Why is it challenging to get access to appropriate mental health care?
People who have bipolar disorder may find it
challenging to access appropriate mental health care due to several factors:
* Difficulty following through on medication schedules
* Damage was done to relationships by involvement in
the illness
* Fear of stigma or discrimination
* Meager insurance coverage or lack of coverage at all
for some bipolar conditions (e.g., bipolar Ivs.
Who does bipolar affect?
Bipolar disorder affects an estimated 3.4 percent of
the U.S. population over the age of 18, or about 9 million people, in a given
year. The average age of onset for bipolar disorder is 25-26 years old,
although it can begin as early as childhood and as late as midlife. As many as
50 percent of those with bipolar disorder have at least one major depressive
episode before their first manic episode occurs. Bipolar I affects about 2% of
adults or about 6 million Americans at any given time.
What are the treatments for bipolar disorder?
Many treatment options are available for managing
bipolar disorder, including medications, therapy, education, stress reduction,
and more.
