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January 2016 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
Learning the
Signs and
Symptoms of
Bipolar Disorder
Be sure to seek
treatment if necessary
By Harleena Singh, Staff Writer
Bipolar disorder used to be called
manic-depressive disorder due to its
extreme mood swings from depression to mania. It’s a very serious disorder that can cause risky behavior.
However, it can be treated with medication and therapy.
Symptoms of bipolar disorder are
severe and different from the normal highs and lows everyone goes
through. These symptoms can result
in poor work or school performance,
damaged relationships and even suicide.
People with bipolar disorder
experience intense emotional states,
occurring in distinct periods called
“mood episodes.” These episodes
represent a drastic change from a
person’s usual behavior and mood.
An extremely sad or hopeless state is
called a depressive episode, and an
overly joyful or overexcited state is
called a manic episode. Sometimes
a mood episode includes symptoms
of both mania and depression; this is
called a mixed state.
The main criteria for diagnosing
bipolar disorder is based on specific
types of disorders:
• Bipolar I Disorder – The person
has at least one manic episode that
may be preceded by or followed by
major depressive episodes. Manic
symptoms cause impairment in the
person’s life and may trigger a break
from reality or require hospitalization.
• Bipolar II Disorder – People with
this disorder have experienced at least
one major depressive episode lasting
at least two weeks and at least one
hypomanic episode lasting at least
four days, but have never had a manic
episode. The unpredictable changes
People with bipolar disorder experience
intense emotional states, occurring in
distinct periods called “mood episodes.”
in behavior and mood or major
depressive episodes can cause distress
or difficulty in the person’s life.
Both bipolar I and II disorders may
include additional signs and symptoms such as:
• Anxious distress – having anxiety, feeling tense and restless, having
trouble concentrating.
• Melancholic features – losing
pleasure in most activities and not
feeling better even when something
good happens.
• Mixed features – meeting the
criteria of manic or hypomanic episode along with symptoms of major
depressive episode.
• Atypical features – experiencing symptoms that aren’t typical of a
major depressive episode.
• Catatonia – holding the body
in an unusual position, not reacting
to the environment, not speaking or
mimicking others.
• Seasonal pattern – a lifetime pattern of manic, hypomanic or major
depressive episodes that change with
the seasons.
• Peripartum onset – bipolar disorder symptoms that occur during pregnancy or in the weeks after delivery.
• Rapid cycling – having four or
more mood swing episodes in a single
year, with few symptoms of manic,
hypomanic and major depressive
episodes.
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• Psychosis – a severe episode of
either mania or depression, resulting in detachment from reality. It
includes delusions and hallucinations.
• Cyclothymic disorder – People
with this disorder had at least one or
two years as children and teenagers
with various periods of hypomania
symptoms and periods of depressive
symptoms. During that time, symptoms caused distress in important
areas of life. These often don’t go
away for more than two months.
A hypomanic episode is a distinct
period of abnormally and persistently
expansive, elevated and irritable
mood that lasts for at least four consecutive days. During this episode,
the patient shows a distinct change
in mood and functioning that is not
characteristic when the symptoms
aren’t present. It makes enough of
a change that others notice. The
episode isn’t severe enough to cause
difficulty at school or work or with
activities and relationships and
doesn’t require hospitalization or trigger a break from reality.
A manic episode is a distinct
period of abnormally and persistently expansive, elevated or irritable
mood that lasts at least one week (or
less than a week if hospitalization is
required). To be considered a manic
episode, the mood disturbance must
be severe enough to cause difficulty at
school or work or with activities and
relationships. It may require hospitalization to prevent harm to others or
self or to trigger a break from reality.
For both of these episodes, during the period of increased energy
and disturbed mood, three or more
distinct symptoms should be present
and represent a noticeable change
from the person’s usual behavior.
These symptoms are distractibility,
inflated self-esteem, less need of sleep,
racing thoughts, unusual talkativeness, agitation or increased goaldirected activity and doing things
that are unusual and that have painful
consequences.
For a major depressive episode,
specific symptoms represent a change
from previous mood and functioning
over a two-week period. One of the
symptoms is loss of interest or pleasure in things the person previously
enjoyed. Other symptoms include
depressed mood, weight loss or gain
without increase or decrease in appetite, restlessness, insomnia or sleeping
excessively, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, decreased ability to
think, indecisiveness and thoughts of
suicide.
If you are experiencing any of these
signs or symptoms, see your doctor or mental health provider. You
need treatment for bipolar disorder
because it doesn’t get better on its
own.