Bipolar Basics
Bipolar disorder (formally known as manic depression) is a mental illness. People who are bipolar have mood swings that interfere with daily life and activities. Mood swings are called episodes and there are four types: mania, depression, mixed mood, and hypomania.
When one is in the depressive episode he may have little energy, feel sad and hopeless, have feelings of guilt and even suicide or death. In mania, people may feel full of energy and euphoric or may feel very irritable. They may start many things but accomplish little, have racing thoughts, increased sex drive, engage in more risky behavior and need less sleep.
While the exact cause remains unknown it is thought that an imbalance of neurotransmitters and/or a problem with the thyroid gland and its hormones is the basis for bipolar.
Treatment
Bipolar disorder is typically treated with medications such as lithium and anti-convulsant, therapy and good self-care. With treatment most people can lead relatively normal lives with few or occasional episodes. A small percentage will not respond well to treatment.
4 Main Kinds of Bipolar Disorder
- Bipolar I Must have at least one episode of mania or mixed mood.
- Bipolar II- One episode of depression and hypomania (slightly manic)
- Cyclothymic Disorder A milder form of bipolar
- Bipolar Disorder not Otherwise Specified Any type of bipolar that does not fit into the other categories.
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