Bipolar disorder

The bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness. Those who suffer from it experience infrequent mood swings; they can go in a matter of minutes from being happy and active to being sad and dejected. The cycle repeats itself over and over again, although the most common is that between one cycle and another people have a completely normal state of mind. The feeling of euphoria is known as mania, while the feeling of sadness is called depression.

This type of disorder usually begins in the late teens, and lasts a lifetime . However, there have also been cases of children suffering from bipolar disorder.

In relation to the causes that can lead to bipolar disorder, the truth is that they are not entirely clear; some studies have revealed that they may be genetic but so far it has not been definitively confirmed.

Treating this mental illness is essential ; otherwise, personal relationships can be seriously damaged, affecting school and professional performance. Currently there are very effective treatments, which in the vast majority of cases combine therapy and medicine.

Causes

So far there have been numerous studies that have tried to determine what the causes of bipolar disorder are, although at the moment there are no conclusive results. However, a number of factors have been discovered that can contribute to this disease.

• Familial genes: this is one of the most likely causes of this disease. However, it is important to note that the fact that a person suffers from bipolar disorder does not necessarily imply that the rest of the family members suffer from this disease.
• Structure of the brain: It is also believed that the structure of the brain or the brain function of the person can significantly affect the development of this mental disorder.

Symptoms of bipolar disorder

The mood episodes of bipolar disorder give rise to numerous changes in practically all personal, professional and social factors: sleep habits, activity levels, thoughts …

People with this mental illness can have manic episodes, depressive episodes, and even mixed episodes. The latter are the most difficult to treat as they include both manic and depressive symptoms.

Manic episodes

When the person with bipolar disorder feels euphoric and cheerful, the episode lasts for about a couple of weeks, although it can sometimes last as long as three or four weeks. The symptoms that we are going to point out below occur daily and last practically 24 hours.

• She feels very animated, overflowing with happiness.
• You often feel nervous and agitated , causing problems sleeping.
• She is much more active than usual, believing that she is capable of doing a large number of activities at the same time.
• is irritable or very sensitive.
• He speaks very fast and, also, about different things in the same speech since he feels that his thoughts are going very fast.
• He does very risky things, like spending a lot of money or having wild sex.

Depressive episodes

The symptoms of depressive episodes are completely opposite to those that the person with bipolar disorder manifests during manic episodes.

• You feel down , without energy to carry out your daily activities.
• You feel that you are unable to enjoy anything.
• Has great trouble concentrating and paying attention.
• You forget things easily.
• You often feel tired.
• You have thoughts related to death, and even suicide.

Diagnosis

Diagnosing bipolar disorder is not straightforward in the vast majority of cases; some people have this disease for years before it is diagnosed. This is explained because the symptoms of this disorder are sometimes confused with those of other conditions, such as depression.

To this must be added the fact that people with bipolar disorder sometimes also suffer from other health problems, such as cardiovascular disease and obesity.

Treatment

To this day, there is no type of treatment that cures bipolar disorder. However, if there are certain procedures that help greatly to control the symptoms; With proper treatment, people with this disease can lead completely normal lives.

Treatment is generally given in two complementary ways.

• Medications: patients respond in different ways to different medications, so it is sometimes difficult to find the right one for each person. Generally, three or four drugs are tried before finding the right one. It is important not to stop taking it without notifying the doctor beforehand because the symptoms of bipolar disorder can worsen.
• Therapy: together with medications, those who suffer from this mental illness undergo dialogue therapy, which is focused on managing emotions and improving social relationships.

Bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses

It is relatively common for people with excessively intense bipolar disorder psychic episodes to develop a certain degree of psychosis . It is a condition that affects both emotions and thoughts and makes it difficult to distinguish what is real from what is not.

Thus, those who suffer from manic episodes and psychosis at the same time may believe that they have superpowers or that they are rich. In the same way, those who suffer from depressive episodes and psychotic symptoms may believe that their lives are completely ruined or even that they have committed a crime.

As we have pointed out, sometimes emotional episodes generate a great lack of control and the people who suffer from them perform very risky actions , which leads to certain behavioral problems: excessive alcohol consumption, unrestrained sex, spending money uncontrolled … This can significantly damage your social relationships, as well as harm your work and your studies.

3 signs of bipolar disorder

There are a number of signs of this disease.

Depression

The depression of bipolar disorder is characterized by the fact that it occurs for no apparent reason. The person feels sad and depressed for no reason that has caused the feeling ; he has no energy to carry out his daily activities and he is unable to enjoy anything. Sometimes he even leaves out both family and personal relationships.

Irritability

Generally, people who suffer from this disease are irritable, so they attack the people around them and even themselves for no reason. This can destroy the patient’s social relationships, isolating him.

Lack of attention

Another of the signs that occurs more commonly in people with bipolar disorder is inattention . They are unable to concentrate on everyday tasks that do not require any kind of difficulty or complexity.

Conclusion

Currently, it is estimated that in the world around 144 million people suffer from bipolar disorder , which represents 2% of all inhabitants globally. A psychiatric illness that notably affects emotions; It implies a dysfunction in the brain mechanisms responsible for regulating mood, which significantly affects the personal and professional lives of those who suffer from it.