Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, or manic-depressive disorder, is a disorder characterized by extreme mood changes. A someone suffering from this disorder can go from being energetic and outgoing to feeling worthless and irritated anywhere between a few days to a couple of months, or even years. Diagnosis, treatment, and the dramatic changes cause a threat to the victim. People with bipolar disorder may try to kill themselves or engage in reckless behaviors depending on which stage they are in. A person with bipolar disorder goes through stages, which are called episodes. These episodes are classified into four groups: mania, depression, hypomania, and a mix between different moods. Mania is characterized by a period of increased energy and/or a feeling of euphoria. At this stage, people may feel out of control and delusional. Speech and thoughts may be distorted and increased. People with bipolar are easily distracted and may have difficulty in getting simple tasks done. When experiencing mania, others around the victim may feel frightened by the behavior the person is displaying.

Hypomania is a more moderate version of mania and usually carries the same risks. It is obvious in all three types of bipolar disorder. The person does not lose touch with reality, and has no hallucination or delusions. They experience poor judgment, which can lead to precarious situations that may put the person’s life at risk. The depressive episode is where a person experiences severe constant feelings of depression and sadness. An Individual may experience low self-esteem and loss of interest in things they used to find enjoyable, being around family members. Other symptoms of this stage include increased ideation of suicide, social anxiety, and loneliness. The physical effects may include extreme weight changes, irregular sleeping patterns, and fatigue.

According to Valentí, mixed episodes seem to be associated with poor outcome, increased suicidal risk, less favorable response to lithium, more frequent later occurrence in the course of bipolar illness, substance abuse, an illness course marked by longer episodic duration with less frequent interepisodic remission, more severe manic and general psychopathology, and more catatonic symptoms (2011). Furthermore, Derntl study shows a person feeling mania and depression is in the mixed stage. Bipolar disorder has been divided into different types depending on the severity of the episodes experiences. Bipolar I is when a person suffers from episodes of mania, and sometimes even depression. This type is considered one of the most severe forms of bipolar disorder because during the episode, a patient starts to display psychotic symptoms such as hallucination, delusions, and paranoia. The symptoms of bipolar I can last a few weeks or years. Bipolar II is a little similar to I, except the person never experiences full-on mania. Instead, a person with bipolar II goes