Bipolar Disorder/Manic Depression
This is a mood disorder in which both depressive (persistent low mood) and manic (elevated or high mood) episodes are experienced. It is usually a recurring (i.e. keeps coming back) disorder that can cause a lot of havoc in all aspects of a person’s life. People with this disorder will experience periods of extreme mood changes but also periods of stable mood during which they may be able to return to everyday routines.
These changes of mood can be very extreme and occur for no apparent reason. Different people will experience this disorder in different ways; some may have few episodes, others many, and symptoms may vary from mild to severe. When severely depressed or elevated, a person can become ‘psychotic’ i.e. lose touch with reality.
The more severe form of the Disorder is called Bipolar I Disorder, while the more common milder form is called Bipolar II Disorder. In Bipolar II Disorder the periods of elevated mood are less extreme and are often quite short, sometimes only lasting around a day or two. Depression is more troublesome for these patients, and is the main focus of treatment.
Treatment
- Medication which includes mood stabilisers (such as lithium and sodium valproate), antidepressants (if depressed) and occasionally antipsychotics, is the mainstay of treatment.
- A combination of interpersonal psychotherapy (or cognitive therapy) with the medication will assist recovery from the episode and maintenance of wellness.
- Early contact allowing intervention before an episode becomes severe and causes major disruption in function will allow treatment to take place outside of hospital.