10 Apr What is Bipolar Affective Mood Disorder | Symptoms And Treatments
Bipolar Affective Mood Disorder is a type of mental health problem where the victims experience a sudden intense change in mood, energy levels, and behavior.
This Mental Disorder affects people’s minds in a way that can lead to significant impairment of personal and professional life.
Fortunately, the condition can get under control through proper medication, talk therapy, and lifestyle changes.
In this blog, we will explore exactly what Bipolar disorder is, its causes and symptoms, and also learn about its available treatments.
What is Bipolar Mood Disorder?
Bipolar Affective Mood Disorder is a mental condition that causes a dramatic change in the mood, energy, and activity levels of the person.
This disorder is also known as manic-depressive illness or manic depression. It’s a life-long mental issue that can last for an hour, days, and even weeks.
During a manic episode, individuals experience a rush of energy and decreased need for sleep which make them engage in risky behaviors like substance abuse.
On the other hand in a depressive episode, they start to feel sad, and hopeless and lose interest in activities.
There are basically three major types of bipolar disorder.
Bipolar I: It’s a disorder condition where individual experiences at least one manic episode that lasts for 7 or more days. Sometimes it is followed by hypomanic or depressive episodes that trigger a break from reality.
Bipolar II: Bipolar II disorder is diagnosed when an individual experiences at least one depressive episode and one hypomanic episode, which is a less severe form of mania. Since these episodes are not intense as manic they are easy to handle.
Cyclothymic Disorder: Cyclothymic disorder is a milder or less intense bipolar disorder. It involves alternating periods of hypomanic and depressive symptoms.
These disorders can occur at any age but mostly teenagers or early 20s kids are diagnosed with this. The symptoms of these disorders change from person to person and vary over time.
Now, we know what Bipolar Affective Mood Disorder is then let’s have a look at its sign and symptoms in the next section.
Signs And Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder
The symptoms of bipolar disorder vary depending on the type and severity of the mood episodes.
Moreover, the symptoms of depressive and manic episodes can change from one person to another and sometimes in the same person at different times.
Signs and Symptoms of Mania & Hypomania Episodes
Here are some of the symptoms of manic episodes.
- Feeling abnormally excessive happiness and excitement.
- Sudden changes in the mood from being joyful to being angry and hostile.
- Increased energy, activity levels, and less need for sleep
- Becoming reckless and doing activities that contain risks.
- Feeling unusually powerful, important, and increased impulsivity.
Signs and Symptoms of Depressive episodes
Symptoms of major depression and these depressive episodes are quite similar to one another.
- The individual will feel low energy, fatigue, and overwhelming sadness.
- Have no motivation, and feel irritated, hopeless, and worthless all the time.
- Difficulty in concentrating, making decisions, and always having thoughts of suicide or self-harm.
- Loss of interest in those activities they enjoyed once.
- Changes in sleeping patterns and appetite cause drastic weight loss.
So, these are some of the symptoms that people show in Bipolar Affective Mood Disorder. But, remember these symptoms vary from person to person, and sometimes different symptoms in the same person, says Dr Vivek Pratap Singh, the best Neuropsychiatrist in Patna.
Now, after learning about the signs and symptoms of this issue. Let’s have a look at the causes of this mental disorder in the next section.
What are the Causes of Bipolar Mood Disorder?
Researchers found that there is no single cause of this mental disorder. But studies have shown that bipolar disorder tends to run families, suggesting a genetic component.
Families with a history of mood disorders are more likely to inherit the disorders in their offspring.
Furthermore, environmental factors like traumatic events and stress also play a major role in triggering mood episodes in individuals. Death of a loved one and childhood abuse are some examples of traumatic events that lead to bipolar disorder.
On the other hand, brain imaging studies have shown that people with bipolar disorder tend to have an enlarged amygdala. This part of the brain is responsible for controlling your feelings and emotions.
The structural changes in the parts of the brain are also the major cause of this illness. Luckily, this illness can be tackled with proper treatment and with a combination of medication and therapy.
In the next section, have a look at the treatment and ways to diagnose this bipolar disorder.
Treatment For Bipolar Mood Disorder
The treatment of bipolar mood disorder depends on the individual conditions and symptoms. It generally involves a combination of medication and psychotherapy.
Medications used to treat bipolar disorder include mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants.
Mood stabilizers help to regulate mood and control mood swings by reducing abnormal brain activity.
Antipsychotic drugs like aripiprazole and olanzapine help to reduce manic and depressive symptoms.
Finally, Antidepressants are used with mood stabilizers or antipsychotics to treat depressive symptoms. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are the most common drugs to treat bipolar disorder.
Psychotherapy such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or interpersonal therapy, can also be effective in treating bipolar disorder. This therapy helps the person to identify and change the unhealthy emotions and behaviors.
Below we have mentioned some common psychotherapies:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy: It’s structured therapy where professionals manage mental health by changing the way the patient thinks and behaves.
- Dialectical behavior therapy: This is also a talk-type therapy, especially for those people who are very emotionally sensitive.
- Psychodynamic therapy: This therapy focuses on the processes that the patient does unconsciously. This generally happens because of the problematic experiences one goes through especially in childhood.
So, these are the medications and therapies that help to treat bipolar mood disorder. Now without wasting any time, let’s conclude this blog with some final words.
Conclusion
From our discussion above, we now know what bipolar mood disorder is. It’s a type of mental illness that triggers your emotions and makes you feel sick of the heightened feelings.
Besides, there is no single cause of this problem but in most cases, this illness is inherited from the family with mental disorders.
The only way to deal with this problem is to find the Best Psychiatrist in Patna that can help you with medications and therapy sessions.
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