Bipolar disorder is a condition which affects your mood, where the individual suffers episodes of extreme elation or mania, followed by episodes of extreme depression. Each person will suffer from different variations of this disorder, and in lower levels of the manic phase it’s possible that you can become extremely productive – in more advanced levels this phase can lead to erratic behaviour. The mild to moderate phase of this condition is known as hypomania, where the person will be extremely enthusiastic about things in their life. When this develops into full-blown mania, this can turn the individual on to thinking that they are better than everyone else and that rules don’t apply to them. In our emotional existence mood swings are common, but when they develop beyond the realm of normal they can fall into a separate illness.
The symptoms of bipolar disorder include severe mania, depression and mixed emotional episodes. Within the manic phase, you might notice that the individual is prone to fast bouts of speech, that they are sleeping less and there are stages of hyperactivity. They also feel as though they are invincible and bound for greatness. With bipolar depression, however, they will feel incredibly low, irritable and restless. They sleep more, speak more slowly and even gain weight – you’ll notice that they feel incredibly sad or empty, that they suffer from fatigue and have increased thoughts of suicide. Anti-depressants can be used to treat regular depression, but in bipolar disorders they can actually make the problem worse.
The diagnosis of this condition is based on a criteria set out by psychiatric associations – much like the diagnosis for depression, it is based on a questionnaire which documents your mood over a period of time. You will also provide blood and urine samples to be tested which look to rule out psychological conditions that could be affecting your mood. There are various causes of bipolar disorder, from biological and psychological, to social influences. 80 to 90 percent of sufferers generally have a close relative who also suffers from either depression or bipolar disorder. There are also environmental factors to consider, such as drug and alcohol abuse, stress and sleep disruption.
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