What is Bipolar Disorder?
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5), bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that is characterized by extreme changes in a person’s mood, causing alterations between periods of elation and depression.
“Bipolar disorder” is an umbrella term that, much like the term depression, can be used to describe multiple mental illnesses. These mood disorders include:
- Bipolar I disorder- manic-depressive disorder characterized by alterations between manic and depressive episodes
- Bipolar II disorder- manic-depressive disorder characterized by the experience of at least one episode of major depression and one episode of hypomania. Often leads to obstruction from daily work and social functions
- Cyclothymic disorder- Mood disorder characterized by at least 2 years of cycling between hypomanic and depressive periods without meeting the criteria for major depression, hypomania, or mania
- Substance-induced bipolar and related disorder
- Bipolar and related disorder due to another medical condition
What are Symptoms?
Symptoms of bipolar disorder vary in length and severity. One individual may not experience episodes of mania or depression for a long period of time while another may experience extreme mood swings daily. Commonly experienced symptoms of bipolar disorder include:
- Manic episode
- Period of elevated mood, irritability, and increased energy lasting at least 1 week
- Severe mood disturbance
- Distractibility
- Racing thoughts
- More talkative
- Feeling as though you need less sleep
- Increased self-esteem
- Irrational behavior with high risk for negative consequences
- Hypomanic episode
- Period of unusually elevated and irritable mood and increased energy lasting at least 4 days
- Mood disturbance
- Distractibility
- Racing thoughts
- More talkative
- Feeling as though you need less sleep
- Increased self-esteem
- Irrational behavior with high risk for negative consequences
- Major depressive episode
- Depressed mood
- Loss of interest
- Significant weight loss or gain
- Restlessness
- Decreased ability to think clearly
- Irritability
- Significant weight loss or gain
- Insomnia
- Loss of energy or fatigue
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
- Thoughts of death or suicide
What Causes Bipolar Disorder?
Like many mental illnesses, the exact cause of bipolar disorder cannot be singled out. However, research has identified several risk factors that can increase the likelihood of developing bipolar disorder. These risk factors include:
- Environment
- More common in high-income countries
- More common among divorced and widowed people
- Genetics
- People with a family history of bipolar disorder are 10 times more likely to develop it
- Stress
- Adverse life events
- Trauma
How is it Treated?
Treatment is possible.
Many people with bipolar disorder benefit from both medication assisted treatment and therapeutic services. Some of the most used effective therapy styles include cognitive behavioral therapy and psychotherapy.
Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to replace harmful thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with more positive ones to develop healthy coping mechanisms.
Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, focuses primarily on personal interactions between a patient and their psychologist for healing and coping purposes.