Questions about a Disorder?
What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder is also known as manic depression although this is an older term that is not much used nowadays. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness characterized by extreme changes in mood, energy and activity levels that cause noticeable changes in a person's behavior. While many people have periodic ups and downs in their mood, people with bipolar disorder are unable to function normally at home, school, or work during the extremes of their illness. Bipolar disorder tends to run in families.
People with this disorder experience episodes of intense emotional states: feeling "high" or an excessively happy state is called a manic episode, while a sad or hopeless state is called a depressive episode. When in a manic state, one feels unusually elated, more irritable, easily distracted and unable to concentrate or focus. When in a depressed episode, the person usually feels very sad most of the time, has thoughts about death or suicide, cries for no reason, loses interest in activities that were enjoyable, and experiences changes in appetite and sleep patterns. These cycles of highs and lows can last for months or even years.
A diagnosis of bipolar disorder means that a person must have experienced an episode of mania or hypomania, which is a less severe form of mania. However, many people with bipolar disorder have more low periods than high ones and they first seek treatment for their depression symptoms. Without a history of high periods or mania the diagnosis of bipolar disorder is difficult to make and people can be misdiagnosed for several years prior to having a manic episode which reveals the correct diagnosis. People with bipolar disorders can also have hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that other people do not hear or see), especially during severe manic episodes.
Diagnosis
What are the symptoms?
Bipolar symptoms usually start during the teenage years or early adulthood although it can be years before the disorder is correctly diagnosed. The disorder tends to run in families and having a close family member with it significantly increases a person's risk of developing it. However, its exact cause is still not clear and there are multiple factors at work including genetics, brain structure and chemistry, use of drugs and alcohol, and stressful life events.
The behaviors that other people usually notice during a manic episode are talking very fast, behaving impulsively, taking part in high risk behaviors (like excessive drinking, gambling or sexual activity), and staying awake for days at a time. Some typical manic behaviors are spending a lot of money impulsively, driving recklessly at high speeds, getting into fights or getting arrested for disruptive behavior. A recent example of this type of behavior that was very public was Charlie Sheen before and after he was fired from his television show. During severe episodes there may also be symptoms of psychosis such as hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that others cannot see or hear) or delusions (having false beliefs).
Learn more about diagnosing bipolar disorder
Questionnaire
This simple questionnaire is designed to help you determine if you have symptoms of bipolar disorder and could benefit from professional help.
Therapy
How is bipolar disorder treated?
Bipolar disorder is generally treated with medications called mood stabilizers. If a person is having an acute episode of mania they may need hospitalization to prevent them from hurting themselves or others around them. If a person with mania is having psychotic thoughts or delusions, they will likely be treated with antipsychotic medication as well. Sometimes injectable medication is needed to control extreme behavior.
Treatment is focused first on the relief of current manic or depressive symptoms but later on will also work to prevent these symptoms from recurring (called maintenance therapy).
Medications for Bipolar Disorder
Medications such as olanzapine (Zyprexa), risperidone (Risperdal), and quetiapine (Seroquel) are effective in treating manic symptoms. Other mood stabilizing medications like lithium, carbamazepine, and lamotrigine may also be administered to treat acute manic episodes but they take a longer time to become effective.
Progress Tracker
Track your bipolar symptoms to identify patterns and help with your treatment plan. Our progress tracker can be printed or even shared with your healthcare professional electronically.
Progress tracking for Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Questionnaire
This simple questionnaire is designed to help you determine if you have symptoms of bipolar / manic depression disorder and could benefit from professional help.