Bipolar disorder
What is bipolar disorder?
These days manic depression is often referred to as biploar disorder.
This condition involves experiencing extreme mood swings, from a low when a person feels severely depressed, to a high when a person feels elated and capable of doing anything. These high periods are known as "manic" phases.
About 1 in 100 adults will suffer from bi polar disorder at some point in their lives. Unlike other forms of depression it tends to be as common amongst men as women.
What are the signs and symptoms?
Depression
Someone with bipolar disorder will find the symptoms of depression particularly severe and disabling, more so than with other forms of depression. They will find it very hard or impossible to carry on with everyday life.
The mental and physical symptoms they are likely to experience include:
Mental
- Feelings of unhappiness that don't go away
- Losing interest in things
- Being unable to enjoy life
- Finding it hard to carry out even simple everyday tasks.
- Feeling utterly tired
- Feeling restless and agitated
- Losing self-confidence
- Feeling useless, inadequate and hopeless
- Feeling more irritable than usual
- Thinking of suicide
Physical
- Losing appetite and weight
- Difficulty in getting to sleep
- Waking earlier than usual
- Constipation
- Going off sex
Mania
People who are having a manic mood swing are usually unaware of it and may feel better and more "alive" than they have ever done before.
These intense feelings though can make them lose touch with reality and start behaving in bizarre ways. They often regret the decisions they made and actions they took when in a manic phase.
Feelings may include
- Very happy and excited
- Irritation with people who don't share the same optimistic outlook
- Endless energy
- Unable or unwilling to sleep
- Full of new and exciting ideas
- A sense of importance about yourself
- Hearing voices that other people can't hear
Other people may notice that you are:
- Jumping quickly from one idea to another
- Making plans that are grandiose and unrealistic
- Very active and moving very quickly
- Behaving in a bizarre way
- Speaking very quickly - if your mood is very high it can be difficult for other people to understand what you are talking about.
- Making odd decisions on the spur of the moment sometimes with disastrous consequences
- Spending money recklessly
- Sexually uninhibited
What causes bipolar disorder?
The likelihood of a genetic cause for bi polar disorder is strong as it often runs in families. The illness can also be brought on by stressful life events, lack of support or physical illness. The first signs of onset may occur in adolescence and is usually distinguished by a marked change from previously normal behaviour.
Treatments: what can you do about it?
Bi polar disorder is most commonly controlled through drug treatments.
- Anti-depressants will help to tackle the depression, but may take 2-6 weeks to work. Support from family, friends and doctor is important during this period.
- Lithium carbonate is used to control mood swings. It can often take up to 3 months for the medication to start working. Regular blood tests are also necessary to check the right amount of lithium level is in the blood stream.
Side-effects in the first few weeks may include:
- Feeling thirsty
- Passing more urine than usual
- Blurred vision
- Slight muscle weakness
- Occasional loose stools
- Fine trembling of the hands
- A feeling of being mildly ill
- Weight gain
If the lithium level in your blood is too high, you will experience
- Vomiting
- Staggering
- Blurred speech
If this happens, you must contact your doctor immediately
A stay in hospital is often necessary to stabilise manic mood swings. Avoiding the stresses that trigger off the illness is important.
The Manic Depression Fellowship can provide information on self-help strategies that people have adopted, Tel: 08456 340 540
Self-help guidelines
- Relapse signature monitoring. This means being aware of your body and moods, so that you can tell from the early warning signs that you are slipping into a period of illness, and can take steps to get help early on.
- Have a rule that you won't make any major decisions without first waiting 48 hours to have time to think about it. This will help avoid making impulsive decisions during a manic phase that you might later regret.
- Consult trusted family and friends before making any major decisions. They will probably be able to tell that you are becoming unwell again before you can, and can help you to seek early help and prevent you from making rash decisions.
