Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings, including highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression). When you feel depressed, you may feel sad or hopeless and lose interest or pleasure in most activities. When your mood changes to mania or hypomania (not as extreme as mania), you may feel euphoric, energetic, or unusually irritable. These mood swings can affect sleep, energy, activity, judgment, behaviour, and the ability to think clearly. The episodes of mood swings may occur rarely or multiple times a year. Although most people experience some emotional symptoms between episodes, some people may not experience any.
It is important to understand your symptoms before you consult your doctor as it will help your doctor to diagnose you better. Just remember you might have some symptoms right now, but that does not mean that you have a clinical mental illness.
bipolar disorder consists of both maniac and depressive episodes. Symptoms of mania include difficulty falling asleep, extremely energetic increased self-esteem, difficulty in concentrating and pulsive thoughts.
on the other hand, depression can change your emotional highs to hopeless lows. If you have bipolar disorder with depression, symptoms you may experience include: Fatigue Sadness Decreased energy Overeating or loss of appetite Suicidal thoughts.
1. Bipolar 1
This type of bipolar disorder is characterized by manic episodes, with or without depression symptoms. If you have this type of bipolar, your manic episodes will last a week or longer. Your mania may be so bad that it requires you to be hospitalized to ease the symptoms. Although you don’t have to have depression to be diagnosed with bipolar 1, it may also present with depression that lasts over two weeks.
2. Bipolar 2
Bipolar 2 disorder is characterized by having both manic and depressive episodes. The mania you experience with this type is usually less severe than the mania you’d experience in bipolar 1 — hence the name hypomania. When you have bipolar 2, you experience a major depressive episode either before or after you’ve had a manic break.
3. Cyclothymic Disorder
In cyclothymic disorder, you experience both manic and depressive episodes for two years or longer. For children, the same is true except they have to experience both for at least a year to be diagnosed. The mania and depression in this disorder are usually less severe than that of bipolar 1 or bipolar 2. The cyclothymic disorder causes unstable moods, meaning you may have periods of normalcy mixed with mania and depression.
4. Other types
You may experience symptoms that don’t fit into the other three bipolar categories. If this is the case, you’re considered type 4, or “other.” This type of bipolar may be caused by factors in your life that can include drugs, alcohol, or underlying medical conditions.
Prevention
There is no sure way to prevent Bipolar disorder however there are certain preventions you can take so that your condition does not worsen and remember that you timely visit your doctor.
Pay attention to warning signs.
Addressing symptoms early on can prevent episodes from getting worse. You may have identified a pattern to your bipolar episodes and what triggers them. Call your doctor if you feel you’re falling into an episode of depression or mania. Involve family members or friends in watching for warning signs.
Avoid drugs and alcohol.
Using alcohol or recreational drugs can worsen your symptoms and make them more likely to come back.
Take your medications exactly as directed.
You may be tempted to stop treatment — but don’t. Stopping your medication or reducing your dose on your own may cause withdrawal effects or your symptoms may worsen or return.
