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Bipolar defective |
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Bipolar disorder, also
known as manic depression or bipolar affective disorder is a mood
disorder, classified under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual - IV
TR published by the American Psychiatric Association. The onset of
bipolar affective disorder is generally from late teenage to early
adulthood. Lately however this is evidence to suggest that there could
also be a childhood onset of the condition. A psychiatric condition,
bipolar disorder is often confused with other conditions like
Borderline Personality Disorder or schizophrenia due to an overlap of
certain symptoms. However the primary characteristic of bipolar
disorder is sudden, extreme and often cyclical mood shifts, swinging
between depression and mania. Basically mania is an elevated mood
characterised by euphoria, rapid speech, racing thoughts, decreased
sleep, hyper-activity, increased sense of self-worth, impulsive and
very often reckless behaviour, inappropriate sexual acts,
hallucinations, delusions etc. On the other hand, depression is the
polar opposite with symptoms of extreme lethargy, tiredness, increased
sleep, decreased attention and concentration, increased distractedness,
low self esteem, suicidal ideation etc. Bipolar affective disorder is
very often tricky to diagnose because a lot of the symptoms may seem
like regular mood swings or the result of some other condition. Often
the symptoms are also misdiagnosed. However in order to help with
correct diagnosis, the DSM-IV TR subdivides bipolar affective disorder
into types depending on the intensity
and frequency of the symptoms.
These subtypes of bipolar affective disorder include Bipolar disorder
type I which is the classic form of bipolar affective disorder. To
classify as Type I, the person has had to have experienced on or more
manic episodes or mixed episodes. Though depressive episodes are not
criteria, they most often exist in bipolar disorder type I. Bipolar
Type II is characterised by at least one major depressive episode as
well as hypomanic episodes. Hypomania differs from mania in its less
severe intensity and does not include psychotic symptoms like
hallucinations and delusions. It also does not cause as much impairment
as mania. Hence it is more difficult to diagnose bipolar disorder type
II. The third subtype of bipolar affective disorder is Cyclothymia
includes hypomanic episodes along with depressive episodes which do not
qualify as major depression. Thus there will be an absence of psychotic
symptoms and suicidal ideation. Cyclothymia is basically a low grade
cycling of mood. The causes of bipolar affective disorder, like many
other psychiatric conditions, are unknown or not specific to one
factor. The primary cause for bipolar affective disorder is considered
to be genetic. Studies have revealed that if a parent or close family
member has the condition, the person is high risk for developing the
same. Twin studies have also been carried out to understand the
influence of genetics on the onset of bipolar affective disorder. Other
causes include external stressors which influence the mental makeup of
a person. Treatment includes medication as well as psychotherapy.
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