Bipolar Disorder
What is Bipolar Disorder?
Manic, euphoric episode. When in this episode you experience extreme hapiness, hyperactivity etc. but you also experience extreme irritability, little need for sleep or thought and might also lead to increased pace of speech.
Depressive state. This state is the opposite of the Manic phase. When going through this phase person in question might experience extreme sadness, a lack of energy, lack of interest and the inability to enjoy actions you enjoyed before you enter the depressive state (Grohol. J.M. n.d.).
Why do people get Bipolar Disorder?
Environmental triggers like stress, sadness or major changes in your life could trigger your first episode. What decides if something will trigger it is how you as a person cope with major or tragic events.
Brain structure can not determine if you have Bipolar Disorder however there has been studies showing that people with Bipolar Disorder might have parts of their brain bigger than others (Symptoms, Causes and Diagnosis. n.d.).
Common misconception
Bipolar Disorder is very rare
Could you tell someone with Bipolar Disorder in this picture from someone who does not have it?
Picture Credit Dantzan
People with Bipolar Disorder are just experiencing normal mood swings
People with Bipolar Disorder keeps switching over between Manic and Depression all the time and very quickly
What can you do about it?
Medication
First we have mood stabilizers, the most common mood stabilizer is Lithium. Mood stabilizers are common and almost all patients use them.
Then we have second generation anti psychotics. These are used to treat symptoms of Bipolar Disorder. More used during the manic and mixed episodes. Second generation anti psychotics blocks dopa-mine receptors. This is why they are normally used during Manic episodes.
Third group is the antidepressant. Prescribed to treat the depressive episodes.
Usually you take at least one of every group. A lot of second generation anti psychotics are also combined with mood stabilizers (Symptoms, Causes and Diagnosis, n.d.).
Therapy
There are three types of Psychotherapy.
Behavioral which is used to decrease stress.
Cognitive is used to learn and identify patterns
Social rhythm helps you maintain normal schedule and sleep patterns (Psychotherapy Bipolar Disorder, n.d.).
Matilda
Matilda was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Matilda has a disease called fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia means that she has a constant pain in her body, muscle joints, also results in Matilda being more fatigued. It is common within Fibromyalgia to also develop bipolar disorder.
She started making up stories, became unstable. She cried constantly till she fell asleep because of exhaustion. When she came back she was put into a psychiatric ward where her parents got to visit her. She was calmer then because of the drugs she was given but she still made up stories and was sad over events that didn't happen the way she told them. What happened to Matilda didn't only affect her.
Matilda’s cousin who sat with her during the whole bus ride was devastated when she came home. Her whole family and all her cousins were extremely worried no one knew what happened. No one thought that it would be bipolar disorder cause no one in the family had ever had the disorder.
Today Matilda lives a normal life she takes medication. She is fully back in school with all her friends and her boyfriend. Her family of course still worries about her but not more than a family usually worries for their family members. If you were to approach Matilda today you would never know by just talking to her or hanging out with her that she has bipolar disorder she is like any other person.
Bipolar Disorder does not make you any less of a person. People with Bipolar Disorder should be treated like anyone else. You wouldn't treat someone less just because they happen to be sick with the flu do you?