Can You Be Bipolar and Not Know It
Editor'due south Note: If you lot're feeling suicidal, having thoughts about harming yourself or believe someone you know may be in danger of harming themselves, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at ane-800-273-8255 to obtain confidential support. This resource is costless and accessible 24 hours a twenty-four hour period, seven days a week. TTY users can dial 711, followed by i-800-273-8255. The organization also offers the Lifeline Chat service for online support.
Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental wellness condition that was previously referred to every bit "manic depression." It causes frequent shifts in mood, energy and activeness levels. People with bipolar disorder experience strong feelings of sadness, guilt and hopelessness during episodes of depression, and these are followed by extreme periods of happiness chosen mania.
Symptoms of bipolar disorder can vary from person to person in terms of severity and duration. For some people, feelings of depression and elevated moods may rotate or cycle. For others, moods might shift quickly or feelings of depression and elevated mood might alternate over a period of months. The status can sometimes escalate and include symptoms of delusions, hallucinations and other types of psychosis that disconnect a person from reality.
Bipolar disorder impacts approximately iv.4% of adults in the Us during their lifetimes. Most commonly, symptoms begin in adolescence and young adulthood, simply they may announced in babyhood likewise. In that location is no cure for bipolar disorder, and without treatment, this condition can atomic number 82 to negative furnishings on a person's finances, relationships and even their standing with the police. However, treatment options are bachelor to help manage symptoms and stabilize day-to-24-hour interval life.
Symptoms and Warning Signs of Bipolar Disorder
During mood episodes of bipolar disorder, people experience intense emotional and behavioral changes that last for most of the twenty-four hours for multiple days or weeks at a fourth dimension. The symptoms that a person experiences differ during depressive episodes and manic episodes. Symptom expression can vary, but typically an individual will experience three or more of the following symptoms from these lists during each type of episode:
Depressive episodes may include:
- Feelings of sadness, emptiness or hopelessness
- Changes in sleep patterns (more or less slumber than usual)
- Increased ambition
- Forgetfulness or difficulty concentrating
- Loss of interest in or difficulty completing daily tasks
- Decreased sex bulldoze or ability to experience pleasure
- Thoughts of expiry or suicide
Manic episodes may include:
- Elated mood
- Irritability
- Decreased need for slumber
- Loss of appetite
- Rapid speech and actions
- Racing thoughts
- Feelings of increased importance or power
- Changes in judgment (can often involve higher-adventure behaviors like spending big amounts of money, engaging in unsafe sexual practices or impulsively making major life decisions)
It's important to continue in mind that depression and mania exist on a mood spectrum, and a person might experience changes in mood that don't quite fit the criteria for either extreme but that can nonetheless cause a disruption to their daily life. For instance, "hypomania" refers to an elevated mood that may non include the farthermost behavioral changes that take place during manic episodes. It's also possible to experience a mixed episode that includes symptoms from both of the above lists. Typically, someone with bipolar disorder experiences this as increased sadness or hopelessness with simultaneous increased energy or irritability.
Sometimes it's hard for individuals to identify symptoms while they're experiencing them. A shut family member or friend might point out changes in behavior that may indicate the onset of symptoms.
Causes and Risk Factors for Bipolar Disorder
Although the precise set up of causes of bipolar disorder is unknown, experts believe that a number of genetic and environmental factors are responsible. Studies prove that genetics and environmental factors both play a part in the onset of symptoms. Causes may include:
- Construction of the brain: Imaging studies suggest that those living with bipolar disorder may accept structural changes in certain parts of their brains that influence the way signals are conducted, impacting mood and behavior.
- Genetic changes: There'southward no one gene linked to bipolar disorder, but certain genes may make it more than likely that someone develops bipolar disorder. This means that having a close relative with the diagnosis makes it more likely that an private will experience bipolar disorder.
- Stress: Experiencing traumatic or highly stressful life events without adequate support may increase the likelihood of developing symptoms of bipolar disorder or trigger their onset in people who are predisposed to this disorder.
- Substance corruption: In some cases, excessive use of drugs or alcohol can act as a trigger for severe mood episodes in those who are predisposed to bipolar disorder.
There are several conditions that tend to coincide with bipolar disorder. This tin complicate diagnosis and treatment. These include:
- Feet disorders
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Eating disorders (such as binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa)
- Thyroid disorders
- Migraine headaches
- Heart illness
Testing and Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder
If yous discover that yous're experiencing extreme mood swings, it'southward important to speak with a healthcare professional person. This can exist your medical provider or a mental health specialist like a psychologist or a psychiatrist. These professionals tin can use a diverseness of diagnostic tools to help determine whether you're living with bipolar disorder or another condition.
- Assessment: In assessing for a mood disorder, a provider will likely enquire questions nigh your lifestyle, relationships, family unit history, mood and sleep patterns, substance use and daily activities. It's important to respond these questions honestly so the provider can place whether you're at risk. In gild to be fix to answer these questions, information technology can exist helpful to maintain a log of your mood changes and how long they last over time. Go on runway of how y'all human action and how you experience, and talk to your friends and family almost whether they've noticed anything out of character or unusual in the way y'all've been acting.
- Blood work: After request you a series of questions, a provider may order certain blood or urine tests to rule out whatsoever concrete explanations for your mood swings, similar thyroid abnormalities or substances in your system. Make sure that, when you lot attend your appointment, you bring information near whatever medications y'all're currently taking.
- Scans: Some brain injuries or tumors produce symptoms that are similar to bipolar disorder. If your doctor has a medical reason to suspect such a trouble, they might order a CT scan or an MRI. A specialist will offset to treat these types of conditions as soon as possible, and your symptoms will likely terminate.
In society to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, your symptoms must align with those listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This is a handbook that helps healthcare professionals diagnose mental wellness atmospheric condition. There are four subcategories of bipolar disorder that a provider might place during diagnosis:
- Bipolar I: Symptoms of depression lasting for at least two weeks, and accompanying manic behavior lasting for at to the lowest degree one week
- Bipolar Two: Characterized by less astringent mood swings alternate betwixt periods of hypomania and low — manic feelings and behaviors are non symptoms of this condition
- Cyclothymic disorder: Periods of hypomania and depressive symptoms that final for at least two years in adults — symptoms can be more subtle and may not encounter criteria for manic or depressive episodes
- Not otherwise specified: Symptoms of depression, hypomania or mania that impair an individual's functioning but don't meet the pattern criteria above
Preventing and Treating Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder isn't a condition that you can necessarily prevent. You cannot control your genetics, and you cannot control many negative situations that may occur in your life. The best preventative measures are to stay informed, monitor your symptoms, find out whether mood disorders run in your family and listen to your friends or family if they point out whatever significant changes in your beliefs. It's important to seek handling for bipolar disorder as soon equally these changes go noticeable. Without proper supportive handling, symptoms may become worse and increase the risk of damage or hospitalization.
Handling modalities for bipolar disorder may include one or a combination of the following:
- Psychotherapy: Several types of talk therapy exist to help support an individual in addressing disruptive emotions, idea patterns and behaviors.
- Medications: Your provider may prescribe these alone or in combination with individual therapy. A variety of psychotropic medications have the potential to exist helpful in targeting the mood and sleep symptoms of bipolar disorder. It can have time to observe a medication regimen that works for you, and providers may offer trials for the following types of medication:
- Encephalon stimulation: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a treatment method that stimulates your brain through electrical currents and tin relieve symptoms of bipolar disorder. Patients are typically under general anesthesia for this process, which is repeated over a period of fourth dimension. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has as well been studied equally a less invasive style of stimulating the brain to regulate moods.
- 24-hour interval treatment or hospitalization: If symptoms are severe, intensive outpatient or inpatient handling allows mental health professionals to monitor symptoms, conform medications as needed and help stabilize moods in a safe surround. Most often this type of treatment is elective; hospitalization is simply required if a person is an imminent danger to themself or others.
Information technology'due south very important to find a trusted healthcare provider to work with in creating a treatment plan. Treatment is typically lifelong, and consequent monitoring and treatment adjustments are usually necessary to create balance and safety for you while you're living with bipolar disorder.
If yous or someone you know is struggling with symptoms of bipolar disorder, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Assistants has a national helpline to connect people with local mental health support services and groups. Many patients feel success through support networks. By interacting with peers and discussing common problems, patients, along with their friends and family, are better able to cope with the challenges of bipolar disorder.
Resources Links:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/bipolar-disorder.shtml
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-weather condition/bipolar-disorder/diagnosis-handling/drc-20355961
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/ten.1111/pcn.12852
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2045125320973790
donleyhobbiregrato.blogspot.com
Source: https://www.symptomfind.com/health/bipolar-disorder-condition?utm_content=params%3Ao%3D740013%26ad%3DdirN%26qo%3DserpIndex
0 Response to "Can You Be Bipolar and Not Know It"
Post a Comment