Bipolar Disorder Facts

The Facts on Bipolar Disorder Bipolar Disorder, also recognized as manic-depressive illness, is a mood disorder characterized by symptoms of mania, hypomania and major depression. This illness results in unusual and unpredictable changes in mood, behavior and even energy level. There are a few different ways to categorize bipolar disorder. These categories include: Bipolar I and Bipolar II. Patients diagnosed with Bipolar I disorder often present having major depressive episodes, hypomanic episodes, as well as manic episodes. In contrast, patients diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder will experience both hypomanic and major depressive episodes, but not manic episodes. Scientists agree that there is not just one cause of this mental …show more content…
These symptoms are broken down based on how that patient presents. Patients may experience a manic episode, hypomanic episode, major depression, or a psychotic episode. The symptoms vary slightly from one another. A manic episode can be explained and described as having at least three of the following symptoms; inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, increasingly talkative, strange ideas, increased goal-directed activity, distractibility, and involvement in activities with painful consequences. For a true diagnosis, these symptoms must be present for a minimum of one week at a time. Hypomanic symptoms are similar to manic symptoms. However, hypomanic episodes are less severe and only lasts four days maximum. Major depressive episodes have symptoms that are severe and potentially life threatening. A major depressive episode can be explained and described as having at least five of the following symptoms; depressed mood, diminished interest or pleasure, significant weight loss, insomnia, fatigue, agitation, feelings of worthlessness, and thoughts of death. For a true diagnosis, these symptoms must be present for a minimum of two weeks at a time. The last group of symptoms describes a psychotic breakdown. Patients will begin having hallucinations and delusions. There is no time limit given to how long these symptoms could last, as they may be sporadic or may …show more content…
There are a variety of treatments that are recommended for patients that have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Pharmacotherapy is one of the preferred methods of treatment. This method includes giving the patient mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, or antidepressants depending the on the symptoms that are present at the time of diagnosis. Psychotherapy is another form of treatment that proves helpful to the patient. It can be broken down into four different categories including; cognitive behavioral therapy, family focused therapy, interpersonal therapy, and education. The goal of cognitive behavioral therapy is to remove negative or harmful thoughts. Family focused and interpersonal treatments focus on communication with members of their family or within society. Educating the patient helps them to recognize the symptoms and learn about the illness. The last form of treatment is electroconvulsive therapy, which is commonly known as electric shock therapy. It is extremely rare and is only conducted if the other treatments have