Bipolar Disorder

What is bipolar disorder?

It was previously called "manic-depressive illness." As the term suggests, you experience severe mood swings. These episodes usually last for several weeks or months and go far beyond the emotional ups and downs most of us experience.

They can be:

• Low or "depressive": You feel extremely sad, depressed, and even hopeless.
• High or "manic": You feel extremely happy, excited, and become excessively active. You may develop grandiose delusional ideas about yourself and your abilities.
• Hypomania: Your mood is elevated, but not as extreme as in mania.
• Mixed: You have a mix of mania and depression – for example, you feel severely depressed, but also anxious and overly active.

Prevalence of bipolar disorder?

About 1 in 50 adults will suffer from bipolar disorder at some point in their lives. It usually starts between the ages of 15 and 25 and rarely after the age of 50.

Causes of bipolar disorder?

Both genetic and environmental factors play a role in increasing or decreasing the risk of developing bipolar disorder. For example, you may have genetic factors that increase your likelihood of developing the disorder, but if you were raised or live in a stable and positive environment, this may reduce the risk of developing the disorder.

What does a person with bipolar disorder feel?

Depression: We all sometimes feel depressed. This can help us recognize and deal with problems in our lives. However, in cases of severe depression or bipolar depression, these feelings are more intense and last longer, making it difficult or impossible to deal with everyday things in life.

Mania: You feel an intense sense of well-being, energy, and optimism - to the point that it affects your thinking and judgment. You may start to believe strange things about yourself, make bad decisions, and behave in ways that may be embarrassing, harmful, and sometimes dangerous.

Psychotic symptoms If a manic or depressive episode becomes very severe, delusional thoughts may develop. In a manic episode, these thoughts tend to be grandiose beliefs about yourself. In a depressive episode, you may feel uniquely guilty or worse than anyone else, or even that you do not exist.

Psychological treatments for bipolar disorder During a depressive episode, or between manic and depressive episodes, psychological treatments can be helpful.

These treatments include:

• Psychoeducation: Learning more about the disorder.
• Mood monitoring: Learning to recognize the signs of mood changes.
• Helping to develop general coping skills.
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
• Couples therapy.
• Family meetings.

Seeking help

You may start by seeing your general practitioner first, especially if you have a depressive episode. If bipolar disorder is diagnosed, the general practitioner will need to refer you to a specialist - a psychiatrist. You will also meet other members of the community mental health team.