What is bipolar disorder and what are the myths surrounding it? Bipolar is also known as manic depression and individuals who are said to be affected by it suffer from extreme shifts in mood, thinking and energy and tend to swing between one extreme to the other. Most individuals have mood swings and tend it get over it maybe in a couple of hours or a couple of days. But in this condition these mood swings last over a week and in some extreme cases last over a month.
If left untreated bipolar tend to affect the day to day activities of an individual as extreme swings in mood makes concentrating on a particular task difficult. There are several myths about this condition and the most common one is that it cannot be treated. The fact is that it can be treated but it takes time and a lot of effort from the individual and also from his family and friends.
The disorder may start during the teenage years of an individual and continue well into his or her adult life. The symptoms are usually wrongly diagnosed and most people who suffer from it are not even aware that they have a problem and that it needs to be addressed.
The symptoms of this condition are different in each individual and vary as per the frequency, pattern and severity of the mood swings. While some individuals may experience these mood swings of either mania or depression on a daily basis there are others who could have these symptoms maybe once every month.
There are usually fours types of moods in bipolar disorder and these are known as
ManiaHypomaniaDepressionMixed episodes.Most people consider the manic phase of bipolar as good as there is high energy, creativity and a sense of euphoria connected with it. People in this phase are hyperactive and feel powerful and great. This phase if left uncontrolled causes some extreme behavior and you can tend to act reckless and violent.
In bipolar depression most individuals are said to suffer from what is known in medical terms as psychotic depression. In this phase you tend to lose perspective between the real and unreal and live a delusion filled existence. This seriously impacts both personal and professional life of the individual concerned.
Bipolar disorders can be classified as:
Bipolar I disorder,Bipolar II disorder andCyclothymiacs.The treatment is a long drawn process and you might have to take psychiatrist help to help weed out the problem completely. Understanding the problem and the factors that cause it is half the battle won and the other half can be won through medication and abundance of love from family and friends.
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