Bipolar Disorder: Types, Symptoms, Treatment - Nutriblog

 

What is bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder or mood disorder is a disease that affects the human brain and causes fluctuations in a person's mood, in addition to fluctuations in his energy level and his ability to perform various tasks, and it may be These mood swings are accompanied by severe behavioral changes, and the nature of symptoms appearing in a person with bipolar disorder varies. A person may go through periods of high mood known as mania, and other periods of depression during which the sufferer feels constant sadness, despair, and the patient may suffer from a mixed mood that includes the emergence of mania and depression at the same time, and the accompanying episodes of mood changes can occur. Bipolar can continue to appear for several days or weeks, or for a longer period of time, and here it is worth noting that people with bipolar disorder may go through times free from any mood swings in which their moods are normal.

The incidence of bipolar disorder is divided into two types:

Bipolar disorder of the first type: represents the most severe type, and includes suffering from manic episodes for long periods of time, in addition to suffering from depressive episodes and psychotic symptoms (in English: psychosis) in some cases.

Bipolar disorder of the second type: the sufferer suffers in the condition, hypomania, and depression. These episodes are short in duration and of lesser duration, and the period between episodes may be dominated by a state of normal mood in relative. It was published in 2018 in the Journal of Clinical Advances in Psychopharmacology. The concentration of bipolar I disorder is about 1% of the general population, as well as the results of a specialized survey conducted in 11 countries surveying a high incidence of bipolar disorder. While it amounted to 2.4%, the percentage of first attacks amounted to 0.6%, and it amounted to 0.4% for the second type.

 Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

When talking about first-degree symptoms of bipolar disorder, the symptoms that appear vary:

Depressive episodes: in which the patient suffers from a low mood and lethargy, or loss of pleasure and happiness in life. Among the symptoms of depressive attacks for those with bipolar are the following:

• Loss of vitality and activity, or feeling tired. 
• Lack of feeling pleasure while doing various activities. 
• Feelings of guilt and lack of self-esteem. 
• The feeling of constant sadness or irritability and irritation. 
• Feeling angry, restless, and upset. 
• Sleep problems; Such as sleeping for long periods or not being able to sleep. 
• Decline in educational attainment and decreased ability to concentrate. 
• Problems with eating patterns; Such as loss of appetite or binge eating. 
• Having thoughts of death or suicide.

Manic episodes: Although the symptoms of manic episodes and hypomanic episodes are similar, they differ in severity and the extent of the impact on life and relationships in general, as the manic episodes are more severe and negatively affect the life of the sufferer, in addition to the possibility that the manic episodes cause the occurrence of psychosis represented by the separation of the person from reality, as it adversely affects the patient's ability to practice various activities in school, work, social and emotional relationships, etc., which creates noticeable problems, and panic attacks may cause separation from the reality in what is known as a psychosis, which necessitates admitting the person to the hospital to receive appropriate medical care, In general, the symptoms accompanying a manic episode include the following:

• The high levels of physical and mental energy anomaly. 
• Decreased need for sleep.
• Rush to take action.
• Difficulty concentrating.
• Mood elevated, exaggerated optimism.
• Rush to talk and have thoughts.
• An inflated sense of self-importance and pride.
• Making weak judgments.
• Being impatient, irritable, and acting aggressively.
• Do reckless and reckless behavior, and make reckless decisions.

How to treat bipolar disorder

A person may have symptomatic episodes of bipolar disease during their lifetime. So that there is a separation between each episode and the next one of a state of normal mood, taking into account that the number of episodes and the period between them varies from person to person, and in some cases, symptoms may continue without stopping, and in fact; There is no specific treatment that can achieve a full recovery from this disorder for all cases, but undergoing the available treatment solutions maybe useful in controlling symptoms, relieving their severity, and reducing the occurrence of attacks. Especially for people with severe types of bipolar disorder, and in general treatments for this type of disorder include the use of certain types of medical drugs in addition to psychological treatments.

The treatment plan for cases of bipolar disorder depends on several factors; Among them are the needs of the injured, and the following is an explanation of the treatment approach taken in these cases:

Medicinal treatments: The doctor prescribes certain types of drugs that improve the mood when rushing to take them if they are prescribed and not delay treatment upon diagnosis to control symptoms as soon as possible, The doctor may prescribe certain types of drugs to be used permanently, and it must be noted the need to adhere to the use of permanent treatments and the specified dose according to what he prescribes, even in periods that do not include the emergence of symptoms. This is to avoid the risk of symptoms recurring or worsening.

Day-to-day treatment programs: in which the person is subjected to programs that provide the support and advice that the injured need to deal with their condition.

Addiction treatments: specifically in cases where the patient suffers from drug or alcohol addiction, due to their association with bipolar status and the difficulty of controlling this condition in addicts unless the addiction is treated for them.

Admission to hospital: This option is used when the patient performs uncontrollable behavior, commits dangerous or suicidal actions, or develops a state of psychosis and mania, which may occur as a result of the patient’s refusal to undergo treatment in many cases. Safety and calm for the injured and stability of his mood.