Bipolar Disorder: An Emotional Roller
Coaster
By Rich Bayer, Ph.D.
Just as there are trends in society, so too are there
trends in mental health. Recently the media has focused increased
attention on bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness.
This brain disorder causes dramatic changes in a
person’s mood, energy, and ability to function. People who are bipolar
experience euphoric highs alternating with bouts of depression. Moreover
their mood can change quickly for no apparent reason.
Bipolar disorder affects 2 million adults in America,
about 1% of the population. In both males and females, symptoms of this
disorder usually begin in late adolescence or early adulthood. This age
range is not exclusive however. There are some cases that begin in
childhood and some that begin later in life.
Symptoms
To be diagnosed as bipolar, an individual must
experience dramatic mood swings and changes in energy level. At the high
energy level, known as the manic phase, the symptoms include:
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Racing
thoughts
- Talking
fast
- Distractibility
- Little
sleep
- Unrealistic
beliefs in abilities or powers
- Spending
sprees
At the low energy level, the depressive phase,
symptoms include:
- Sad
mood
- Feelings
of hopelessness
- Guilt
- A
sense of helplessness
- Loss
of interest
- Fatigue
- Sleeping
too much or sleeping too little
- Change
in appetite
- Occasional
suicidal thoughts
To be diagnosable, symptoms of mania must persist for
at least a week and symptoms of depression must be present for at least
two weeks. But the patterns of mood change vary a great deal. Some people
may be depressed most of the time and have just a few manic episodes in a
year while others may experience depression alternating with multiple
episodes of mania within a single week or even a single day. The latter is
called “rapid cycling” and occurs more commonly among women than men.
In addition, only about one-third of people with
bipolar disorder have symptoms of extreme mood all the time. They’re
always one or the other, either manic or depressed, and are never
non-symptomatic. About two-thirds however have periods of time between
episodes where they’re free of symptoms.
Also there’s a subgroup of people who have “mixed
bipolar states.” When in this state, they experience symptoms of both
mania and depression at the same time. For example, an individual in a
mixed state may have racing thoughts while at the same time he feels
physically fatigued, helpless, and overwhelmed with sadness.
It’s also common among people with bipolar disorder
to use drugs or alcohol in excess. And most of them give what seems to be
a valid reason. They’re attempting to control the symptoms they’re
experiencing in the present. But in the long run the effects of drugs and
alcohol on brain chemistry make the symptoms worse.
In more extreme cases of bipolar illness, individuals
suffer from psychotic states. They may have hallucinations (seeing,
hearing, or sensing things that are not there) or delusions (thinking or
believing something that is not true). For example, in a manic state,
someone might “hear” voices telling her she has important information
that’s needed by the government and she may have the delusion that
government officials are watching her every move. Or in a depressed state,
someone might see images of blood on his hands and believe that he has
committed a terrible crime.
Diagnosing Children and Adolescents
Children and young adolescents with bipolar disorder
tend to experience rapid cycling between moods. Often they experience many
mood swings in a single day. Also mixed bipolar states are more common
than in adults. In older adolescents, the symptoms of bipolar disorder
begin to resemble the symptoms common in adults.
Yet diagnosing bipolar disorder among children and
young adolescents has its difficulties. For example, the symptoms of mania
sometimes look like the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder, or oppositional defiant disorder.
Confounding the problem even more, symptoms of mania or depression are
likely to appear in children and young adolescents who are involved with
drugs or alcohol.
Getting Help
For those with bipolar disorder, it’s important to
get into treatment. There are two good reasons. First, if left untreated,
the illness gets worse over time. Second, effective treatment can help
people avoid problems, such as the life-threatening, suicidal thoughts in
a depressive state or getting into financial or legal trouble for actions
taken while in a manic state.
Treatment includes medication and therapy. Both are
critical.
Treating bipolar illness with medication has been
proven highly effective. Many medications now available can help to
stabilize moods. Long-term treatment with medication has been shown to be
most effective.
Therapy is the other key to effective treatment.
Therapy helps individuals come to terms with their disorder and also with
taking the medication. In counseling sessions, individuals can discuss any
problems they’re having with their moods and work on solving those
problems. If fortunate enough to have psychiatric rehabilitation services
as a covered benefit of their health insurance, individuals can use these
services to reestablish any skills that have been impaired by the
disorder.
Bipolar disorder is a potentially disabling illness.
As with most mental health disorders, prompt, accurate diagnosis and
treatment can result in a positive outcome.
------------------------------------------------
Rich Bayer,
Ph.D., is the CEO of Upper Bay Counseling and Support Services, Inc. and a
practicing psychologist.
# # #
For More Information Contact:
Upper Bay Counseling and Support Services, Inc.
200 Booth Street, Elkton, MD 21921
Tel: 410-996-5104
Toll Free: 877-587-7750
FAX: 410-996-5197
Internet: info@upperbay.org
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