What is bipolar disorder?
At first glance, it’s not a big deal. Just mood swings. For example, in the morning you want to sing and dance for joy that you live. In the middle of the day, you suddenly snap at colleagues who distract you from something important. By the evening, you are overcome by severe depression, when you cannot even move.
People who work under pressure or spend a lot of time studying are at the risk of bipolar disorder. Students are especially vulnerable since their social life is very dynamic, and they often combine work and their studies. The process of writing thesis is a long one and the stress that can build up over this period of time. Experiencing stress and adversity can contribute to both internal symptoms (such as anxiety, depression, grief, fear etc) and external behaviors (such as reactivity, aggression, and behavior problems). As a student, I always asked for help when I needed to write my paper, this way I reduced the stress and could get higher grades.
The mood of those who suffer from bipolar disorder constantly jumps between the two poles. From the extreme maximum (“What a thrill just to live and do something!») to an equally extreme minimum (“It’s horrible. Life is stupid and pointless”). The highs are called periods of mania. Lows — periods of depression.
Manic-depressive psychosis is exhausting, worsens relationships with others, dramatically reduces the quality of life, and can eventually lead to suicide.
Where does bipolar disorder come from
Mood swings are familiar to many and are not unusual in our society. Therefore, bipolar disorder is quite difficult to diagnose. Nevertheless, scientists work on this more and more successfully. In 2005, for example, it was established by the Prevalence, Severity, and Comorbidity of Twelve-month DSM-IV Disorders that about 5 million Americans suffer from manic-depressive psychosis in one form or another.
Unfortunately, the exact causes of bipolar disorders have not yet been found out. It is only known that:
- Manic-depressive psychosis can occur at any age. Although, it is clear that most often appears in late adolescence and early adulthood.
- It can be caused by genetics. If one of your relatives suffered from this disease, there is a risk that it will knock on your door.
- The disorder is associated with an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. Mostly serotonin.
- The trigger is sometimes severe stress or trauma.
How to recognize early symptoms of bipolar disorder
To fix unhealthy mood swings, first, you need to find out if you are experiencing emotional extremes-mania and depression.
7 key signs of mania
- You feel uplifted and happy for long periods (from several hours or more).
- You have a reduced need for sleep.
- Your speech is fast. And so much so that others do not always understand you, and you do not have time to formulate your thoughts.
- You are an impulsive person: you act first, then you think.
- You are easily distracted and jump from one thing to another. As a result, the final productivity often suffers.
- You are confident in your abilities. You think that you are faster and smarter than most people around you.
- You often exhibit risky behavior. For example, you agree to have sex with a stranger, buy something that you can’t afford, participate in spontaneous street races at traffic lights.
7 key signs of depression
- You often experience prolonged (from several hours or more) periods of unmotivated sadness and hopelessness.
- You shut yourself in. It is difficult for you to come out of your shell.
- You have lost interest in the things that used to catch on to you, and you have not gained anything new in return.
- Your appetite has changed: it has decreased dramatically, or, on the contrary, you no longer have control over how much and what exactly you eat.
- You regularly feel tired and lack energy. These periods last quite a long time.
- You have problems with memory, concentration, and decision-making.
- You sometimes think about suicide. It seems that life is boring and pointless
- Manic-depressive psychosis is when you have almost all of the symptoms described above. At some point in your life, you clearly show signs of mania, at other time-symptoms of depression.
However, sometimes it happens that the symptoms of mania and depression manifest themselves simultaneously and you can not understand what phase you are in. This condition is also one of the signs of bipolar disorder.
What is bipolar disorder?
- Depending on which episodes occur more often (manic or depressive) and how pronounced they are, bipolar disorder is divided into several types of Bipolar Disorder.
- Disorder of the first type. It is severe, and the alternating periods of mania and depression are strong and deep.
- Disorder of the second type. Mania does not manifest itself too vividly, but depression covers as globally as in the case of the first type.
- Regardless of what type of manic-depressive psychosis we are talking about, the disease in any case requires treatment.
What to do if you think you have bipolar disorder
Don’t ignore your feelings. If you are familiar with 10 or more of the above signs, this is already a reason to consult a doctor. It gets especially dangerous, if you find yourself in a suicidal mood.
First, go to a therapist. The doctor will offer you the Diagnosis Guide for Bipolar Disorder to do several tests, including a urine test, as well as a blood test for the level of thyroid hormones. Often, hormonal problems (in particular, developing diabetes, hypo – and hyperthyroidism) are similar to bipolar disorder. It is important to exclude them. Or treat them if they show up.
Then, it is time to visit a psychologist or psychiatrist. You will have to answer questions about your lifestyle, mood swings, relationships with other people, childhood memories, injuries, and family history of illnesses and drug incidents.
The qualified professional will analyze your case and prescribe treatment if needed. This can be either behavioral therapy or medication.