Bipolar Disorder, earlier known as Manic Depressive Disorder, is a common psychological illness that can disrupt one’s life severely, leading to chaotic behavior and even suicide. Affecting nearly one per cent of the population, people suffering from this disease are often highly creative and gifted. They include geniuses like poet Sylvia Plath. While in some cases the disease worsens over time, in others the patient gets well spontaneously.
Millions of people have bipolar disorder. It used to be called manic depression. With bipolar disorder, life can be like an emotional roller coaster. One day your mood is low and you feel sad. Then your mood gets really high and you feel great. Then the sadness comes back. The good news is that there’s help for these extreme mood swings. With proper treatment, people with bipolar disorder can lead normal lives.
Causes of Bipolar Disorder
While the exact cause of bipolar disorder (manic depression) has yet to be determined, there is a great deal of scientific evidence that indicates a chemical imbalance in the brain. As for what causes this imbalance, there are a number of viable theories, which center on a combination of heredity and environmental triggers. Presented here is information relevant to these theories.
There is a significant genetic component to bipolar disorder. If a family member has bipolar disorder, other family members may be at risk. The identical twin of a person with bipolar disorder is at the highest risk for developing the condition. However, stress of some kind often is needed to trigger the onset of the disease. The disease does not occur just because of one gene, and the cause of the disease is likely a combination of multiple genetic and environmental factors.
What are some of the symptoms of bipolar disorder?
At times, a person who has bipolar disorder may feel very happy, full of energy and able to do anything. The person might not even want to rest when he or she feels this way. This feeling is called mania (say: "may-nee-ah"). At other times, a person who has bipolar disorder may feel very sad and depressed. The person may not want to do anything when he or she feels this way. This is called depression. People with bipolar disorder can quickly go from mania to depression and back again.
Treatment of Bipolar Depression
Research has shown that people with bipolar disorder are at risk of switching into mania or hypomania, or of developing rapid cycling, during treatment with antidepressant medication.15 Therefore, “mood-stabilizing” medications generally are required, alone or in combination with antidepressants, to protect people with bipolar disorder from this switch. Lithium and valproate are the most commonly used mood-stabilizing drugs today. However, research studies continue to evaluate the potential mood-stabilizing effects of newer medications.
The majority of people with bipolar disorder can be treated using a combination of approaches. These include:
Medicines to prevent episodes of mania, hypomania and depression; these are known as mood stabilisers and are taken every day, long-term,
Medicines to treat the main symptoms of depression and mania when they occur.
By: peterhutch
