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.
