We all have ups and downs, days when we are in good shape and others for which we are rather sad or depressed.
Bipolar disorder is characterized by the same feelings of joy and sadness but with a much higher intensity and more severe than normal.
Typically, bipolar disorder is divided into two phases: a hyperactive phase and a depressive melancholic phase.
Recognize bipolar disorder is the first step in treatment that can control it and treat it. In addition, untreated bipolar disorder tends to worsen with time and years.
Definition of bipolar disorder. What is bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder, other times called manic-depressive disorder or manic depression, bipolar disorder is a state change between repeated severe mania and major depression period of time. The cycles of bipolar disorder can last days, weeks or months.
Unlike other mood disorders, bipolar disorder is characterised intensity that it disrupts daily life and he changes the level of activity, judgement, and behaviour. For example, during a manic phase and excitement, the patient may decide to resign on a whim, to borrow so mindless or feel in top form after a short sleep two hours.
While major depression phase, bipolar same person may feel too tired to get out of bed and feel hopeless by his new status of unemployed or bills to pay and debts it has itself incurred.
Bipolar disorder is a common disease qu’one think: it affects about 3% of adults in the United States and the number of bipolar in France represents about 1% of the population.
Added to this figure the number of bipolar who are unaware from depression, a number that is difficult to assess. The causes of bipolar disorder are not well known, but it is more common in people in whom there is already bipolar family history.
The first episode of bipolar depression or mania usually occurs in adolescence or early adulthood.
Bipolar disorder symptoms and monkeys
Initially, the consequences of bipolar disorder are a state of euphoria, also called manic phase, or manic.Secondly, but not always, a period of depression following the mania period.
In a typical case of someone with bipolar disorder, mood alternates between these two extreme mood states and repeatedly over time.
Bipolar disorder is defined by four mood states, each state having its own symptoms:
- Period of mania
- Period of hypomania
- Depression
- Episodes mixed (mixture of manic symptoms and depressive symptoms)
Signs and symptoms of mania in bipolar disorder
In the manic phase of bipolar disorder, the patient feels in a state of euphoria and energetic. In general, people who are in the manic phase speak very quickly, sleep very little (3 to 4 hours of sleep) and are hyperactive. It may be that they feel invincible and that nothing can resist them.
Still, even if the manic episode may give the impression of feeling good, mania tends to get out of control. Thus we see that during a manic phase, bipolar person will have a mindless behaviour such as the fact of playing his savings to the casino to have inappropriate sexual or relaxations to completely thoughtless financial investments. It may also snaps quickly angry over nothing, it becomes irritable, aggressive or she spineless others who criticise his behaviour.
Signs and symptoms of mania for bipolar disorder are:
- hyperactivity
- Excessive optimism with great energy level or be extremely irritable
- Think about being able to do unrealistic things and thinking have unlimited capacity
- Very little sleep while feeling energised
- Talking at a very fast pace, with the limit of understanding for others
- Difficulties or inability to concentrate, move quickly from one idea to another
- Impaired judgement, impassivity
- Act without considering the consequences of his actions
- Désorientaiton and hallucinations (in severe cases of bipolar disorder)
Signs and symptoms of hypomania in bipolar disorder
Hypomania is a less severe form of mania. People in a hypomanic state feel euphoric, energetic and productive, but their symptoms are less pronounced than in the manic state and their effects are less severe. Unlike the manic and manic state, people with hypomania never suffer from hallucinations and are able to manage their daily lives.
For an outside eye, the hypomanic person will just feel like someone in unusual cheerfulness. Unfortunately, hypomania often turns into a mania to serious consequences or is followed by a major depressive episode.
Signs and symptoms of bipolar depression (major depressive phase of bipolar disorder)
Bipolar depression is much like major depression. However, there are some differences between these two forms of depression. Compared with a major depressive phase of bipolar depression includes symptoms of lack of energy. People with bipolar depression tend to move or speak slowly and sleeping a lot.
They may also suffer from psychotic depression, depression phase during which they lose the sense of reality or lose contact with the real world.
Symptoms of bipolar depression are the following:
- Feeling hopeless, feeling great sorrow
- Do not take pleasure in the things you loved doing before, or loss of interest in certain activities
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- physical and intellectual stagnation
- Change in appetite and weight changes, upwards or downwards
- Prolonged sleep or short sleep, sleeping too much or not enough
- memory problems and difficulty concentrating
- self-hatred, feeling ashamed or guilty
- suicidal thoughts
Signs and symptoms of a mixed episode in bipolar disorder
A mixed episode of bipolar disorder mixture of both symptoms of mania and depression symptoms.Signs and symptoms of a mixed phase are restlessness, irritability, insomnia, changes in appetite, loss of sense of reality, and suicidal thoughts. This high energy blend of melancholy and humor is particularly likely to cause an act of suicide.
Symptoms of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents
Unlike adults with bipolar disorder, whose episodes are usually pretty well marked to be clearly defined, children and bipolar adolescents often have very fast changes and short intervals between mania and depression, often several times a same day.
The manic phase in children less caratérise more by great irritability with a tendency to destroy their surroundings (in contrast to the excitement and positive energetic mood that also characterize the manic phase). Mixed symptoms are also common among JEUNS adolescents with bipolar disorder.
The older teenager who develop the disease will experience episodes and symptoms that are more similar to bipolar adults.
Types of bipolar disorders
The course of bipolar disorder varies greatly from one individual to another, with unpredictable differences in the frequency and impact of symptoms of manic episodes and depressive episodes.
Some people have longer manic phases while for others it will be bipolar depression phases that will be most marked, while others alternate equally both types of episode.
The frequency of mood changes may also vary (several times a year, a few times in a lifetime). The duration and severity of bipolar episodes also varies from person to person.
There are four types of bipolar disorder, with symptoms each their own:
- Bipolar I disorder, mania and depression : bipolar I disorder is the classic form of manic-depressive illness. This is also the form of bipolar disorder with the most severe consequences. Bipolar I disorder is characterised by at least one manic episode or a mixed episode. Although a previous episode of major depression is not necessary to diagnose the disease, the vast majority suffering from type I bipolar disorder have experienced a major depressive episode earlier in their life. The typical course of type I bipolar disorder is therefore defined by recurrent cycles of manic episodes and depressive episodes.
- Bipolar II disorder, hypomania and depression : for bipolar II disorder, patients do not connaisent devastating manic episodes. Instead, bipolar disorder consists of episodes of hypomania and severe depression. To be diagnosed bipolar II, you must have experienced at least one hypomanic phase and major depression during their life. If you have ever had a manic episode type, it may be that you are diagnosed as suffering from bipolar I disorder
- Cyclothymia, hypomania and mild depression : Cyclothymia, also called cyclothymic disorder is a milder form of bipolar disorder. Like bipolar disorder, cyclothymia is a repeated cycle of mood changes. However, the phases of exaltation and melancholy are not intense enough to be qualities of mania or major depression. For cyclothymia to be diagnosed, one must have experienced many episodes of hypomania and mild depression over the past two years. Due to the fact that clyclothymiques people have a higher risk of developing a true bipolar disorder, cyclothymia is a condition that must be monitored and treated.
- Fast cycles, frequent episodes of mania, hypomania or depression : the rapid cycling bipolar disorder is a type of bipolar disorder characterized by at least four episodes of mania, hypomania or depression during the year. State changes between excitement and melancholy can occur within days or even hours. Rapid cycling can occur in any type of bipolar disorder.They usually develop later in the course of bipolar disorder, but it can also be a temporary condition.
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