A brief overview of the Bipolar Disorder diagnosis.
What is Bipolar Disorder? Everyone has moodswings anger, sadness, happiness related to life experiences, surroundings and people in their lives. Bipolars experioence unusual and drastic shifts in mood. These moodswings include: energy, thoughts, behavior and the ability to function and are not related to their environment.
The moodswings can be extremely high and irritable or hopeless and sad. These episodes are chronic and can be mild, moderate and severe in intensity.
What causes Bipolar Disorder; researchers have found evidence that Bipolar Disoirder is biological with an instability in the nerve impules in the brain; in the brain’s biochemical makeup. It is being examined to see if it is genetically transmitted and there is convincing evidence that it is. The exact cause has not been proven yet.
What are the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder? The significant changes in mood from a high feeling sometimes with irritability, which is called mania; to feeling sadness to hopelessness, called depression.
The episodes vary in length and intensitytover years or within weeks, days or in some cases hours. Symptoms can be mild, moderate or severe.
What are the types of Bipolar Disorder? There are different types of Bipolar Disorder that you can be diagnosed with. Bipolar I has the main symptoms of the illness and has recurrent episodes of mania and depression with psychosis and possible mixed episodes. Bipolar II is a milder form with hypomania and no full manic episodes. Rapid Cycling is when 4 or more episodes occur within a year.
If you feel you have signs or know of someone who exhibits signs of Bipolar Disorder be aware that only a doctor can diagnose a mental illness; many physical illnesses can mimic mental illness. Substance abuse can often show symptoms of a mental illness and it is imperative that you or the person gets medical advice immediately before any damage is done to themselves or others.
Mental health is prevention not a cure; being aware of your mental and emotional health takes a though evaluation of yourself.
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