Conditions & Diseases: Psychological

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder Overview & Types

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a psychological (mood) disorder characterized by dramatic mood swings between mania (a mental state when the person feels happy, full of energy and extremely active) and depression (a mental state when the person feels down, sad, has no energy and is incapable of being active and productive).

Every person experiences ups and downs over their life span. The difference between normal mood swings and bipolar mood swings is the severity level of the symptoms and their impact on the persons life. Bipolar disorder mood swings interfere with all the aspects of the persons life: social, personal, and work related. The persons has poor work or school performances, develops dysfunctional relationships with those that he or she comes in contact with, and may also plan to commit suicide. These mood swings can be frightening, disturbing, and distressful for the person that suffers from this disorder, for his or hers family, and those people that interact with the sick person.

Approximately 2.6 percent of the population or 5.7 million Americans suffer from bipolar depression, and this disorder is equally prevalent between men and women. It affects people from every social class, race, age group, and ethnic group. Bipolar disorder usually develops in late adolescence or early adulthood and continues throughout live. There are cases when the disorder is diagnosed in children or elders. Bipolar disorder seems to run in the family. If one of the parents suffer from bipolar disorder, children have a higher risk to develop the disorder than general population.

A Mental Health Report of US Surgeon General has listed bipolar disorder as on of the 10 leading causes of disability in the USA together with unipolar depression, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Bipolar disorder symptoms are divided in two main categories:
1. Symptoms of mania, include:
- Increased energy and activity,
- Restlessness,
- Excessively euphoric, good, or “high” mood,
- Extreme irritability,
- Increased talking
- Racing thoughts (flight of ideas),
- Distractibility and lack of concentration,
- Decreased need for sleep,
- Unrealistic beliefs in his/hers abilities,
- Poor judgment and impulsive behaviors,
- Increased sexual drive,
- Drugs’ abuse,
- Provocative, intrusive, or aggressive behavior.

2. Symptoms of depression, include:
- Sad, anxious, or empty mood,
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, hopelessness, or pessimism,
- Lack or decreased interest or pleasure in almost all activities,
- Decreased energy and increased fatigue,
- Restlessness of irritability,
- Insomnia or hypersomnia,
- Changes in appetite accompanied by weight gain or loss,
- Chronic pains and aches that are not caused by physical injuries or illnesses,
- Suicide thoughts and even suicide attempts.

Bipolar Disorder Types

There are three types of bipolar disorder:

1. Bipolar I Disorder is a form of bipolar disorder where the person experiences one or more manic episodes or mixed episodes.
A maniac episode is a distinct period characterized by 1) an abnormal and persistent elevated, expansive, or irritable mood; 2) an inflated self-esteem or grandiosity; 3) decreased need to sleep; 4) distractibility; 5) increased need to talk or pressure to keep talking; 6) increased involvement in goal-directed activities with high potential of painful consequences; and 7) psychomotor agitation that lasts at least 1 week.
A mixed episode is a distinct period characterized by rapidly alternating moods between sadness, irritability, and euphoria.

Bipolar I disorder is a recurrent disorder, more than 90 percent of those that experience a manic episode will have future similar episodes. The average onset of bipolar I disorder is around the age of 20 for both men and women.

2. Bipolar II Disorder is a form of bipolar disorder where the person experiences one or more major depressive episodes (period characterized by depressed mood and lack of interest in nearly all activities that last at least 2 weeks) followed by at least one hypomanic episode (a mild form of mania). This type of bipolar disorder seems to be more common among women than men. Gender seems to be related to the number and type of hypomanic and major depressive episodes. In men, the number of hypomanic episodes is equal or exceeds the number of major depressive episodes, while in women, major depressive episodes are predominant. Bipolar II disorder prevalence is approximately 0.5 percent.

3. Cyclothymia (also known as cyclothymic disorder) is a chronic, fluctuating mood disturbance that involves numerous periods of hypomanic symptoms and depressive symptoms.

Hypomanic symptoms include the following:

1. Abnormal and persistent elevated, expansive, or irritable mood.
2. An inflated self-esteem or grandiosity.
3. Decreased need to sleep.
4. Distractibility.
5. Increased need to talk or pressure to keep talking.
6. Increased involvement in goal-directed activities with high potential of painful consequences, but without gross lapses of judgment or impulsive behavior.
7. Psychomotor agitation.

Depressive symptoms include:

1. Depressed mood and/or diminished interest or pleasure in nearly all activities.
2. Changes in appetite, weight, sleep and psychomotor activity.
3. Decreased energy.
4. Feelings of worthlessness or guilt.
5. Difficulty thinking, concentrating, and making decisions.

recurrent thoughts of death, suicide ideation, plans, or attempts. Depressed and hypomanic symptoms’ periods are shorter, less severe, and do not occur with regularity as in bipolar I and II disorder.

Cyclothymic disorder is equally present in men and women. It usual occurs during adolescence or early adulthood with an insidious onset and a chronic evolution.

Article by Alina Morrow,
MS Psychology
OmniMedicalSearch.com
Depression Bibliography