Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder characterized by mood swings. The person may at times feel high or low and can last for a few hours or last for several weeks or even months. A lot of people have probably experienced it for brief periods without even knowing they have this illness. Just to give you an idea, here are some of these episodes.
The two most general are the manic and the depressive episodes. In a manic episode, the person is extremely happy, very hyperactive and experiences racing thoughts that usually lead to rapid speech.
Those who experience depressive episodes are sad, lack the energy to do anything and are unable to enjoy the pleasures of life. They feel helpless and hopeless.
In between these two extremes, there are other episodes.
There is the major depressive episode and this happens when five or more symptoms associated with bipolar disorder occur during a 2-week period. This includes being depressed, show no signs of interest in anything most of the day, significant weight loss as a result of not eating, insomnia or hypersomnia, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, diminished ability to think or concentrate and recurrent thoughts of death.
Another is the mixed episode wherein the person will feel high and low daily for at least a week. The person will probably be confined in a hospital for some time to prevent him or her from doing harm to themselves or others. It should be noted that these symptoms are not a direct result of taking drugs or any other medical condition.
Then there is the hypomanic episode. This is the exact opposite of the major depressive episode because the person will have an inflated self esteem, does not need a long time to sleep, very talkative, feel that a lot of ideas and thoughts are coming in, becomes easily distracted, wants to engage in goal oriented activities and wants to get deeply involved in pleasurable activities.
This may last for up to 4 days and four of the symptoms mentioned have to be present. Unlike the major depressive episode, those who suffer from it will still be able to socialize with others and does not require hospitalization.
Bipolar disorder is often accompanied by psychosis wherein the individual will experience hallucinations or strange delusions. At times, they may even hear voices or see people that are not there. To make matters worse, there will be a sense of paranoia and that person will think he or she is being watched or followed. Just the same, it is best to seek medical help.
There are different levels of bipolar disorder. We alluded to these in a previous chapter. Let's take a closer look. There is bipolar disorder 1, bipolar disorder 2 and cyclothymic disorder.
The difference between bipolar disorder 1 and 2 is that either the manic or the depressive is more dominant than the other. For instance, a study shows that 60 to 70% of the time, manic episodes precede or follow a depressive episode.
Those who experience bipolar disorder 1 will experience it for a week but those with bipolar disorder 2 will feel it in milder forms and a shorter duration.
Cylclothymic Disorder is not as bad as the first two mentioned. In fact, the person will just feel irritated and this could last for up to two years with single episodes that may last for up to two months. The interesting thing about this type is that it can be a precursor to a full-blown bipolar disorder or just a low-grade chronic condition.
Bipolar disorder is recurrent. So if it happens once, chances are this will happen again. On average, someone with bipolar disorder may live a normal life for up to three years with just in between episodes of mania or depression.
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