“I hate when I tell someone I have bipolar and see a look of terror in their eyes”
~Christine Kirton.
Have you ever noticed changes in a person's mood frequently? Do you know what it is called?
Bipolar disorder is a mental condition characterised by intense mood swings. Mania, or an abnormally high mood, is one of the symptoms. Episodes of depression are also possible which can cause depression, feelings of guilt and fatigue. Mania can cause excitement, elevated confidence and trigger risky behaviour. Manic depression is another term for bipolar illness.
It’s like being on a roller coaster ride when you have bipolar disorder. Some drops are predictable, but others require patience since the following curve will send you into an unanticipated spin. You alternate between laughing and putting your hands in the air and clinging, hanging on for dear life while yelling at the top of your lungs. ‘You are just overreacting again’, 'you are psycho’ are just a few responses every person having depressive episodes might have dealt with. When people have depressive episodes, they tend to start seeing the world in a different way than the way they see it when they are normal. Nothing seems pleasurable or worthy to them. They feel lonely in the world as they fail to share their feelings with others out of the fear of judgement.
Having a parent or sibling with bipolar disorder, periods of high stress and drug or alcohol abuse are some of the factors that may increase the risk of developing bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder comes with some other health conditions such as anxiety, eating disorders etc., that make bipolar treatment challenging. Financial, relationship and family problems are reasons for anxiety. Bouts of sadness tend to take away from normalcy and affect the quality of life. For example, if we try to solve a problem and even after putting in a lot of effort, we are not able to solve it, we feel sad and stressed. Similarly, when a student is expected to perform well and get good marks but is not able to meet expectations, it severely affects his/her mental health and well being.
There are three main types of bipolar disorders: Bipolar I, Bipolar II and Cyclothymia.
Bipolar I: This involves at least one manic episode. This type of bipolar affects men and women equally.
Bipolar II: The shifting between less severe hypomanic episodes is a feature of bipolar II illness. This type of bipolar mostly affects women.
Cyclothymia: Hypomania and depression are symptoms of cyclothymia. People facing this bipolar only have stable moods for a month or two at a time. The condition affects men and women equally, with about 2.8% of the US population diagnosed with bipolar disorder and nearly 83% of the cases classified as severe. On the other hand, the current prevalence in India is 6.9%.
While interviewing Professor Sudhakar Selvaraj, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Centre and author of the BMJ Best Practice topic on bipolar disorder, Dr Kieran Walsh, Clinical Director at BMJ, mentioned that between the ages of 19 and 45, bipolar illness is the sixth biggest cause of disability in the developed world. During his interview, Professor Sudhakar Selvaraj explained that there are differences between bipolar disorder in younger people and adults. Mania, for example, is the most common symptom of bipolar illness. However, because of the nature of their life experiences, it is difficult to see the same set of symptoms in children.
Bipolar depression used to be treated with a mood stabiliser plus a standard antidepressant, but that has changed because traditional antidepressants are either ineffective or have a slightly increased risk of producing manic symptoms in some people. As a result, the profession has shifted to different medications, and dopaminergic drugs, often known as antipsychotic drugs are increasingly being utilised to treat bipolar disorder and depressive symptoms. While treating bipolar disorder firstly, one needs to recognise the possibility of bipolar disorder in any patient with mood disorder, anxiety or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Secondly, as it is a recurring problem, it is critical to treat the acute phase. At the same time, it’s important to think about how to avoid future relapses. Since many of these medications have needless side effects, patients should be involved in decision-making from the start.
If you or your loved one have bipolar disorder, remember, “You are not your illness. You have an individual story to tell. You have a time, a history, a personality. Staying yourself is part of the battle.”~ Julian Seifter.
There’s no sure way to prevent bipolar disorder. However, we can prevent minor symptoms by applying some simple strategies. Acquiring knowledge about bipolar disorder can make it easier to help a loved one struggling with the illness. People suffering from bipolar often feel like they are a burden. Try to make them feel that they are important and you are there for them always. Get them involved in various fun activities so that they don’t feel left out. Tell your friend to seek professional treatment if they can't deal with it alone. Tell them that joy and sorrow are parts of life; they come into our lives to make us strong and without one, the other loses importance.
“Life is like a piano; the white keys represent happiness and the black show sadness. But as you go through life’s journey, remember that the black keys also create music” ~Ehssan
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