Tim F Clark asked:


Bipolar affective disorder is a medical condition marked by mood swings that are much more severe than what most normal people undergo every now and then. The condition is more commonly known as manic-depression or bipolar depression, and combines episodes of deep, brooding depression with extremely elated moods (”mania”). The frequency and intensity of these severe mood swings differ among sufferers.

Estimates state that more than one percent of the population suffers from bipolar affective disorder at least once in their lifetimes. While many sufferers go through a manic-depressive stage at least once every few years, others may take longer between attacks, making the condition difficult to diagnose. Once recognized, however, it is possible to treat the symptoms.

Bipolar affective disorder affects the brain, identifying it as a mental illness. It arises from irregularities in the brain’s physical structure (particularly in the hippocampus area) and chemical processes. Individuals suffering from bipolar affective disorder experience mood highs and lows that are drastically above normal intensity. When mood swings persist in frequency, it often results in the individual being unable to function properly at work or at home. This also results in faulty decision-making skills and strained relations with the people around them.

Experts have identified two classifications of Bipolar affective disorder. Physicians make diagnoses based on the symptoms that the sufferers display.

•Bipolar I Disorder. An individual with Bipolar I Disorder suffers at least one manic episode (a “high” mood) or mixed episodes (fluctuating moods between depression and mania, often happening very quickly), in addition to at least one major episode of depression.

•Bipolar II Disorder. Less severe, Bipolar II Disorder subjects a sufferer to at least one major episode of depression and at least one “hypomanic” episode, or one in which the individual experiences a happy mood, but not so happy as to obstruct good judgment and function (as opposed to mania).

In order to diagnose a patient as suffering from one of the two types of Bipolar affective disorder, other special conditions and circumstances that may also cause the abovenoted symptoms must be ruled out. The individual’s medical history will be thoroughly checked for any previous records of mental illness. The patient’s family history will also be checked for any prior accounts of similar mood illnesses. In the future, blood tests may also help in arriving at more accurate diagnoses of Bipolar affective disorder.

Bipolar affective disorder affects approximately three out of every two hundred people in the general population, and more people suffer from Bipolar I than Bipolar II Disorder. At any given moment, from one to two million Americans are affected by Bipolar affective disorder. Research has so far failed to determine whether Bipolar affective disorder is more likely to affect certain races or ethnicity. What has been determined, however, is that Bipolar I Disorder affects both men and women in equal frequency and intensity, while Bipolar II Disorder occurs more frequently in women. Women are also more susceptible to rapid cycling, when depressive and manic stages follow each other in quick succession, usually at least four times in a single year.

To date, Bipolar affective disorder has no cure. Research, however, has made great strides in understanding this lifelong mental illness, and experts are confident that better treatments (and even cures) for Bipolar affective disorder will develop in the near future. For now, those suffering from Bipolar affective disorder may rest assured that its negative effects can be mitigated with medication and modifications in lifestyle.



Douglas

Clive Harman asked:


 

The brain is one of the most important parts of the body. Think of the brain as the part of your body that controls everything you do in your daily life. It controls everything from walking, talking, and other motor skills that you do. However, you should also consider that the brain also controls your emotions and your mood. This means that the brain is also responsible for you being happy or angry.

The brain is the most active part of the brain and even while you sleep, the brain continues to function. Since the brain controls everything about your body, you should consider that getting it damaged can cause some irregularities in your daily function. In some cases, some brain disorder is present since birth. One brain disorder is called bipolar disorder or also called manic depressive illness. This particular disorder affects the person’s mood and emotions.

You will notice when a person is suffering from bipolar disorder when they constantly change their behavior. You will see that one moment they will be extremely happy and the next minute, they will feel depressed and back again to being happy. Although mood changes happen to everyone, you have to consider that normal mood change will take some time to happen. The abnormal mood change suggests that this person has a bipolar disorder.

Depending on the severity of the disorder, unusual and extreme mood change can last for a few minutes to as long as a month. Because of this unusual behavior, it can dramatically affect their social life as well as their performance at work or at school. You should consider that this is a very serious condition where it has to be managed carefully in order for a person with bipolar disorder lead a normal life.

There are cases where bipolar disorder is left untreated and results in dangerous situation, such as ******* attempts and substance abuse. This is why you should be careful when someone in your family or your circle of friends have this particular condition as it can be dangerous for the people around them and also for themselves as well.

Bipolar disorder has no cure but there are treatments available in order for people with this disorder lead a more normal life. Psychotherapy is one of the best treatments for bipolar disorder where a person with this condition can learn how to control their unstable emotions and also know when there is an attack of mood changes happening. With psychotherapy, people with bipolar disorder can distinguish between what’s normal and what’s not.

There are also medications available that can stabilize the mood changes to normal levels and prevents it from getting out of control. It is important that once you notice something unusual about a family member or a friend’s behavior, you should seek help for them immediately as people with bipolar disorder are very unpredictable and can think and attempt to commit of ******* anytime.

If it is possible, you should recommend that they should see a psychiatrist. You have to be insistent because people with bipolar disorder often deny that there is something wrong with them and they will be aggressive.

Bipolar disorder is a serious long term condition that requires long term treatment with psychotherapy and medications. There is no cure for it but there are treatments for it that will enable people with bipolar disorder lead a healthier and more normal life.

Carefully managing this condition can result in a more productive life for the person with bipolar disorder. It is also important that the family of the person with this condition should continually support him or her.

Early detection can result in a much more productive lifestyle for the person suffering from this disorder. So, you noticed some irregular change in a person’s behavior or mood, you should immediately refer to a psychiatrist about the symptoms. They will be able to conduct a diagnosis about the condition and will recommend therapy and medication that can help them lead a normal and more productive life.

Bipolar disorder is a disabling medical condition that can result in unproductive and abnormal lifestyle. They will suffer from social problems, and their physical health will also deteriorate if not treated.

These are some of the things you should know about bipolar disorder in order for you to know how you can cope up with it.



Annette

Alexis asked:


I have had bipolar disorder since my late teens. I have been on lithium for a year and a half now. Tried a host of other drugs before that to no avail. But now I am stable and functioning well. Do you think it could come back if I stick with treatment?

Rachel

cudalady asked:


I have just been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, both of my sisters have it, we assume that my father had it also, considering that he committed *******. But I am more worried about my children they are 11 and 7 years old.

Erik

Juillet asked:


I’m trying to figure out the mood swings of a friend and wondering if its bipolar. He is very confident, and stern in the mornings but in the evenings he tends to act like an 8 year old, be very emotional or can be very emotional if provoked. We just broke up and these characteristics really stand out. I’ve been asked if he is but I just thought he had multiple personalities. What do you think?

Martha

?ana m ? ?????? ? ? ? ?Hecate? asked:


And please if you could give me some site or something where they talk about the seriousness of the condition. I need to convince someone to get medication. Its been years and years and its getting worse. I know bipolar is a serious disease I just need proof that doctors think that way too.

Gary

Li Ming Wong asked:


Bipolar affective disorder, also known as manic depression disorder, is a mental illness that causes the patient to experience mood swings or mood cycling, involving depressive episodes, mania episodes, and/or mixed episodes. There are many treatment options for bipolar affective disorder. The most successful treatments are a combination of medications and counseling or therapy.

Within the last five years there have been several substantial breakthroughs in research toward finding the true biological cause of bipolar affective disorder. This research has lead to the development of several new bipolar affective disorder medications. A few of the more popular latest medications for bipolar affective disorder are described below.

Abilify, or Aripiprazole, is an atypical anti-psychotic. It was approved for treatment of manic and mixed bipolar disorder episodes in 2004, and further approved as a maintenance medication for bipolar disorder in 2005. While most anti-psychotic medications work by shutting down dopamine receptors in the brain, Abilify works by making the dopamine receptors behave more normally. This stabilization makes this latest medication the ideal treatment for bipolar affective disorder.

Celexa is an antidepressant that has been around for several years. However, it has been used with increasingly more frequency in the last few years for the treatment of bipolar affective disorder. This is due to the fact that Celexa has proven to be more selective than other anti-depressants. This essentially means that with Celexa, fewer bipolar patients need a mood stabilizer to prevent the antidepressant from sending them zooming into a manic episode. It has been extremely successful as a maintenance medication for bipolar affective disorder.

Geodon is an anti-psychotic that works as a mood stabilizer in bipolar affective disorder patients. The most exciting thing about this latest mood stabilizer medication is that it is not associated with weight gain. It works in much the same way as Zyprexa, which has been proven to be a very successful medication for the treatment of bipolar affective disorder. However, unlike Zyprexa, side effects are fewer, milder, and do not include weight gain!

Wellbutrin, also sold as Zyban, was originally developed as a medication to help people stop smoking, in which it has been quite successful. In recent years, however, it has been discovered, quite by accident, that it is even more successful as an antidepressant when used as a medication for bipolar affective disorder. Chemically, it is unrelated to any other antidepressant, and it is unknown why it works so well with bipolar patients. One advantage to Wellbutrin is that it is a weight stable medication, meaning that patients will typically not see weight gain or weight loss.

As technology and research progresses, more effective medications for bipolar affective disorder are bound to be developed. Successful treatment of bipolar affective disorder is the goal of many researchers, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Discuss treatment options with your doctor often, and keep track of the latest developments in medications for bipolar affective disorder, so that you can appreciate the benefits of successful treatment for your bipolar affective disorder.



Annie

Flor Serquina asked:


A bipolar chat room is primarily created as an extended support group for people suffering from or diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Moderators in this group are usually volunteers. Majority of them are either former bipolar patients or individuals that are undergoing bipolar treatments and medications.

Other things you can expect to find in a bipolar chat room are schedules of moderated chats and topics related to manic depression issues. However, some chat rooms go beyond online meet ups and set physical meet ups in coffee shops in their respective areas.

Potential Benefits

The intention of a bipolar chat room is always to accommodate those bipolar people who are in need of additional help, with the hope the process will eventually lead to effective treatment. The benefits that you can get from the chat room are as follows:

* You have the opportunity to meet other people who are being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. At this point, you will have a chance to share your experiences with them as they are expected to do the same. The sharing should help a bipolar patient cope with the problem because you are expected to understand the symptoms better from another bipolar patient’s perspective.

* People will have the chance to ask questions and answer some as well. This is a given since a bipolar chat room is designed for the purpose of open discussions. However, not all questions are answered and not all discussions are being moderated.

* There is the assumption that you can make friends that have a better understanding of your situation. Since you all speak in bipolar lingo, it follows that discussions are aligned in that direction. This exchange of thoughts and emotions become a new outlet of hope among bipolar disorder people.

* The bipolar chat room supports this community 24 hours a day. Again this is a given since discussions are conducted through the internet. Some chat rooms even have moderators scheduled at certain times of the day or week. This is to help facilitate certain topics that may have sensitive bipolar issues.

Possible Disadvantages

The problem comes when users abuse the bipolar chat room, using it as an alternative avenue for mischief and pranks. This can be expected considering that the majority of the chatters are bipolar patients themselves. Mood swings can apparently be felt in this virtual room. Here are the disadvantages:

* Most of these chat rooms are supported by volunteers only. Since there may be no medical professionals, nobody can lead the discussions.

* There is great difficulty in staying on the topic. Serious and sensitive issues are expected. Topics like ******* and other deep depressive subjects make it impossible to keep a safe online atmosphere.

Remember that mood swings are strong in this group. If managing one bipolar patient is difficult, just imagine how that challenge is multiplied in a bipolar chat room, where the majority of participants are bipolar-diagnosed. Some chat rooms have closed due to this type of problem.

Making The Decision

Weigh the possible benefits as explained above against the potential disadvantages before making your decision. Better yet, discuss this with trusted friends and family members and even more importantly, talk to your health care provider.



Maureen

jamco asked:


I wondered if a small child who had received brain trama during birth could have signs of bipolar from a very young age. My son has bipolar disorder. He has always had problems, but it is just now, at age 35, that we know what is wrong.

Martin

Lina Smith asked:


Bipolar symptoms tend to be one of the great mysteries surrounding an illness. There seems to be a great deal of people who will tell you that they know all about bipolar symptoms when they don’t really have a clue. These are the type of people who will tell you that they have bipolar disease because they have been feeling slightly depressed and they ‘know’ that this is one of the bipolar symptoms. Being bipolar is in fact much more serious and the bipolar symptoms that sufferer’s exhibit are much more pronounced than just being a little down.

As bipolar disorder has four separate phases with two main ‘categories’ there are actually more bipolar symptoms than you would think. As the two main categories are mania and depression it is easier to think of the bipolar symptoms in two lists, one for mania and one for depression.

Mania bipolar symptoms

• Extreme highs during which a person may feel elated for no reason and be quite excitable

• Feelings of “I can do anything” even for the most risky activities

• Feeling as though you can function perfectly well on little or no sleep, often for days

• Risk taking – this can be in the form of dangerous activities, excessive consumption of alcohol and the taking of drugs.

• Spending sprees – these are usually something which the person who is bipolar cannot afford and during a spree they will buy things that they do not want or need. After a spree they may wonder why they have bought items and not be able to remember doing it very well.

• In more extreme cases during a manic episode the person with bipolar disorder may suffer from hallucinations and delusions which can seem quite real to them at the time.

Depressed bipolar symptoms

• Feelings of little or no self worth

• Sleeping too much and finding it hard to get up in the mornings

• Putting on or losing weight, often rapidly

• Low levels of concentration

• Feeling like you are unable to cope with daily life – going to work, dealing with others etc

• Lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities

• Lack of sexual desire

• In some very severe cases the sufferer might seriously think about committing ******* and could try to do so

Often these bipolar symptoms will occur in cycles with times when the sufferer seems to be quite well and not in the throes of a manic or depressive episode. Or there can also be times when the bipolar symptoms that an individual displays are not as pronounced during a manic episode and this is referred to as hypermania. Whilst these episodes are not as severe they can still be quite disturbing for the person with bipolar disorder and those around them and they can also be the signal that a more heightened episode is on its way.



Lucy