In The Venue

Symptoms of bipolar

Written by Jonathan Green

Bipolar disorder, popularly known as the Manic Depression usually begins with bouts of depression. Bipolar disorder Symptoms are not seen by the patient in the initial stages. In the early stages of this disorder, the symptoms may hide themselves as some other problem which will not deal with health problem other than being mental problems. The symptoms of bipolar disorder often resemble alcoholism, substance abuse or simply poor performance at work. If these symptoms of bipolar disorder go unnoticed or without treatment it will become worse and the individual will have severe episodes of extreme depression and manic.   An early visible symptom of bipolar disorder can be a state that is known as hypomania, where the individual still displays a large amount of energy level, has a lot of mood swings, feels irritated, and is very impulsive. The state of hypomania makes the individual feel good, therefore it is difficult that the family will understand or recognize the mood switches. It is very often seen that the individual will not even admit there is something wrong. Depressive disorder is one of the major symptoms of bipolar disorder . These symptoms include being in a depressed mood and losing interest in the daily life and this symptom can continue like that for about at least a two week period. This mood corresponds with change in the individual’s everyday behavior or their practices during work or social situations. This mood usually has a negative impact on the day to day living of the individual. There will be a significant amount of weight loss and a noticeable lack of appetite on a everyday basis. The other symptoms of bipolar disorder can be insomnia and extreme fatigue, energy loss is a feeling the individual continually has in this condition. These symptoms are usually accompanied by the feeling of extreme guilt and low self-worth every day. The ability of the individual for concentration will be present but there will be continual thinking of suicide and death in symptoms of bipolar disorder. We have seen some of the symptoms of depression component above but the manic component usually contains some different symptoms of bipolar disorder. There will initially be a feeling of elevated mood or irritability for a minimum period of one week. These symptoms of bipolar disorder are strong enough to cause negative impact on the work and social conditions of the individual. The person with this disorder will have a very low self-esteem, less sleep always being feeling that he is tired. There will be a lot of random thoughts in his mind, lack of concentration with too many distractions, and will indulge in activities with high possibility of risk and negative consequences. When we consider the above we can understand how difficult it is for people to understand the symptoms of bipolar disorder. There are contrasting behavior patterns. It is also important to consider that the earlier the symptoms of bipolar are detected the treatments can begin and the individual can have a chance at leading a normal life.  The basic and primary symptom of bipolar disorder is random and impressive mood swings. This illness has two very strong but distinct phases that can be understood from its name itself. The treatment of this disorder requires psychotherapy or talk therapy along with the medication. It is during the therapy that the feelings of the individual are discussed. The talk therapy helps them to understand and ultimately master any problems that hurt the patient’s ability to perform in life. It helps the individual motivated to stay on medicine and also gives support to deal with the effects of the disorder. It also helps in maintaining a positive self-image. The types of psychotherapy used in treating the bipolar disorder are as follows: Behavioral therapy: This therapy focuses on the behaviors that can decrease stress. Cognitive therapy: This therapy helps in identifying and then modifying the mood patterns. Interpersonal therapy: The focus of this therapy is on relationships and aims to reduce the strains that this illness may have brought in that. Social rhythm therapy: This therapy helps in developing and maintaining daily routines. The earliest visible signs of mania in many cases are loss of sleep and high energy. It is been clinically experienced that mania can be devastating to the family in a very short span of time. The debts could pile up due to extensive spending; there could be extra marital affairs that can break down the marriage or relationship. In case it is not detected at an earlier stage it could lead to the individual being hospitalized. Due to the stigma attached to this disorder many patients do not even acknowledge that there could be anything wrong with them. The symptoms most of the times are also just exaggerated versions of normal moods.

 

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