Bipolar Disorder

Life for someone with bipolar disease is often extremely hard. I am going to explain some things about a typical bad day. While not everyone has the same symptoms, this is still typical of a severe bipolar low.

The onset of mania or hypomania can often be a pleasant experience for people with bipolar disorder. Positive changes in mood can be quite dramatic, and people often feel energized, excited, and optimistic. On the other hand people sometimes find that mania and hypomania begin with irritability and agitation, or that they experience both feelings of dysphoria and euphoria at the beginning of a manic episode. For those who experience mixed episodes, quick changes can occur between being in a good mood and extreme irritability.

One of the hallmarks of bipolar disorder is the distinctive behavioral changes that take place when a patient begins to experience hypo-mania and mania. Activity levels and libido increase and hours spent in sleep decrease. This cycle of increased activity and decreased sleep (or physical rest) can itself perpetuate and escalate the mania.

The recognized standard treatment for bipolar disorder is medication, which focuses on controlling or eliminating the symptoms and then maintaining the symptom-free state by preventing relapse. The effective use of medication requires that you work closely with your medical practitioner. Some patients may respond well and experience few side effects with one type of medication, while others may do better with another. Thus, when taking medication, it is important that you monitor its effects and consult with your doctor .

Research with people who have bipolar disorder suggests that stressful life events can play a significant role in the development of symptoms, and that the prevention of depressive and manic episodes can be partly achieved by controlling stress. People with bipolar disorder may have problems in a number of different areas, including family, work, health, finances and so on. One important way of controlling stress is to develop skills in identifying and addressing problems that arise on a day-to-day basis.

Bipolar Disorder or Manic Depression is a mood disorder, and is the name given to the experience of abnormal moods or exaggerated mood swings. This illness is characterized by the experience of extremely “high” moods where one becomes extremely euphoric or elated, and the experience of extremely “low” moods where one becomes extremely sad and finds it difficult to experience pleasure.
The high moods are called manic episodes and the low moods are called depressive episodes. These episodes can range from mild to severe and affect how a person thinks, feels, and acts. However, it is important to remember that some people may experience different patterns associated with their disorder. For example, some people may experience only one episode of mania but more frequent episodes of depression.