Bipolar
Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness in which common emotions become intensely and often unpredictably magnified. Individuals with bipolar disorder can quickly swing from extremes of happiness, energy and clarity to sadness, fatigue and confusion. These shifts can be so devastating that individuals may choose suicide.
All people with bipolar disorder have manic episodes — abnormally elevated or irritable moods that last at least a week and impair functioning. But not all become depressed.
Bipolar disorder is a condition that leads to extreme changes in mood, energy and sleep. With all of these things, people will experience ups and downs in everyday life. What sets bipolar disorder apart is that the swings happen with more frequency and intensity than developmentally appropriate and they last much longer. The extremes also start to cause problems at school, home, with friends or other important areas in the person’s life. There is no sharp dividing line that separates bipolar disorder from ordinary changes in energy and mood. It is the combination of extremity and impairment that signals when it has become a problem. The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) defines four different types of bipolar disorder: bipolar I, where the person has had a manic episode at least once in their lives; bipolar II, where the person becomes seriously depressed, but also has a history of hypo-mania (a milder mania); cyclothymic disorder, where the person has years of depressive and hypo-manic symptoms without developing a full mania or depression; and bipolar “not otherwise specified,” for situations that do not fit into any of the other three definitions.
How is Bipolar treated?
The best treatments for bipolar disorder focus on smoothing out the highs and lows in mood and energy. There are several different psychotherapies that have promising results. These include cognitive behavioral therapy to pay attention to automatic positive thoughts as potential triggers for hypo-mania or mania; dialectical behavior therapy for improving emotion regulation; psycho educational therapy to understand triggers and ways of managing the illness; family-focused therapy to improve communication and reduce intense emotional conflict; and interpersonal social rhythm therapy that emphasizes regular sleep and activity patterns. When the mood and energy become extreme, reaching the severity of a full-blown mania or depression, then medication is important in reducing the symptoms to a level where therapy and everyday functioning become possible. Therapy has a lot of promise as a way of preventing progression of bipolar disorder, delaying relapse and improving functioning in between episodes. Many incredibly talented and productive people have successfully dealt with bipolar disorder, so a goal of treatment should not just be symptom reduction, but helping the person to make the most of their gifts and abilities.
All people with bipolar disorder have manic episodes — abnormally elevated or irritable moods that last at least a week and impair functioning. But not all become depressed.
Bipolar disorder is a condition that leads to extreme changes in mood, energy and sleep. With all of these things, people will experience ups and downs in everyday life. What sets bipolar disorder apart is that the swings happen with more frequency and intensity than developmentally appropriate and they last much longer. The extremes also start to cause problems at school, home, with friends or other important areas in the person’s life. There is no sharp dividing line that separates bipolar disorder from ordinary changes in energy and mood. It is the combination of extremity and impairment that signals when it has become a problem. The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) defines four different types of bipolar disorder: bipolar I, where the person has had a manic episode at least once in their lives; bipolar II, where the person becomes seriously depressed, but also has a history of hypo-mania (a milder mania); cyclothymic disorder, where the person has years of depressive and hypo-manic symptoms without developing a full mania or depression; and bipolar “not otherwise specified,” for situations that do not fit into any of the other three definitions.
How is Bipolar treated?
The best treatments for bipolar disorder focus on smoothing out the highs and lows in mood and energy. There are several different psychotherapies that have promising results. These include cognitive behavioral therapy to pay attention to automatic positive thoughts as potential triggers for hypo-mania or mania; dialectical behavior therapy for improving emotion regulation; psycho educational therapy to understand triggers and ways of managing the illness; family-focused therapy to improve communication and reduce intense emotional conflict; and interpersonal social rhythm therapy that emphasizes regular sleep and activity patterns. When the mood and energy become extreme, reaching the severity of a full-blown mania or depression, then medication is important in reducing the symptoms to a level where therapy and everyday functioning become possible. Therapy has a lot of promise as a way of preventing progression of bipolar disorder, delaying relapse and improving functioning in between episodes. Many incredibly talented and productive people have successfully dealt with bipolar disorder, so a goal of treatment should not just be symptom reduction, but helping the person to make the most of their gifts and abilities.