Bipolar Disorder (BD)
Bipolar Disorder (BD)
Bipolar disorder is a chronic episodic Disorder. Those episodes range between Mania and depression. In between those episodes, the person is sound and normal because he or she should be back to his total self and he can manage a normal life. In the episodes themselves there is no one rule but in general full-blown mania usually makes the person unaware of his/her actions and sound judgment would be disrupted. As the patient gets the proper treatment and comes out of that episode, which could last between 1 week and a few months, he /she will retain normal executive brain functions.
Symptoms
- Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
- Decreased need for sleep. insomnia
- Increased talkativeness
- Racing thoughts
- Distracted easily, children have learning difficulties.
- Increase in goal-directed activity or psychomotor agitation
- Engaging in activities that hold the potential for painful consequences, e.g., unrestrained buying sprees.
- mood swings up and downs.
How do psychiatrists diagnose Bipolar Disorder?
Type 1 is the big one; results in the Patient suffering S from strong changes in mood for at least 4 days or more
2 states are the ones that usually lead to the diagnosis ;
Mania: severe unreasonable euphoria or irritability, excessive energy and strength, feelings I no need to sleep and the patient can stay awake for days or very minimum sleep with the maintenance of their energy, and talkativeness in a purposeful way. Racing ideas and plans with an inability to focus on any of them. Impulsivity and loss of ability to weigh the risks/benefits of their actions so the person can take risky or wrong decisions such as selling land or giving someone their car. Disinhibition makes the person to does things that he/she has never done them before and will never do at the times he/she is not ill. All actions and desires would be exaggerated like overspending or hypersexuality or over-flirting. Inflated self-esteem and so the person would be acting against their nature: the person would act like he is very important. personality or about somebody very important or famous even if their nature is not arrogant. sometimes it leads to psychosis when a person loses connection in reality and believes he has a special mission from God or that he is a king or a Prophet or has special powers like talking to dead people or bringing them alive.
To receive a Bi-polar Disorder (BD) diagnosis the person needs at least 1 manic episode in their life. manic episodes are usually severe to the point the patient is out I control and especially the first episode usually leads to hospitalization.
The other phase of the Disorder is Depression which contains the typical depressive symptoms.
A Depression episode alone is not enough to receive a BD diagnosis. However, manic episodes are proven not due to drugs or medication-induced or general medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism IS ENOUGH to diagnose Bipolar affective Disorder type I.
Type 2 lacks manic episodes and is predominated by depressive episodes. In between, it can experience hypomania which is a nice productive period or more for at least 1 week.
