Bipolar Disorder and Eating Disorders

There is much new research being done on the relationship between Bipolar disorder and Eating disorders.  Some evidence supports the theory that Eating disorders such as Bulimia Nervosa, and Anorexia Nervosa are strongly connected to the Bipolar community.

Those mostly connected are Bulimia Nervosa, Anorexia Nervosa and Binge eating. 


The links between them are characterized by the problems associated with Bipolar disorder:  eating irregularities, weight problems, and impulsive actions and rash behavior. Compulsive behavior and the tendency to cycle also are noted.

Researchers have found that the severity of the Bipolar disorder influences the development and severity of the Eating disorder.

The difficulty in the treatment of these illnesses when they cooccur is compounded by the side effects of the medications.  Antidepressants are often used to treat Eating disorders but cannot be used with a Bipolar patient because of the tendency that they have to induce mania.  The new Antipsychotics are inclined to cause weight gain and can trigger binge eating episodes.  Psychotherapy is beneficial in treating eating disorders but more research is needed in order to help a person with Bipolar disorder control this added feature to the illness.

While the studies are still being done and the evidence is not conclusive; there may be an answer one day for the treatment of both these illnesses when they cooccur.

Sleep and Bipolar Disorder

Do you find yourself sleeping 12 or 14 hours straight or being active for 20 hours or more? Changing the way you sleep might significantly improve your condition.

Studies have found that 25% to 65% of bipolar patients who had a manic episode had experienced a social rhythm disruption prior to the episode. A Social rhythm disruption is a disturbance in routine affecting the sleep cycle. When a person has becomes manic and feels the need for less sleep and, stays awake 20 or more hours a day, it actually contributes to making the mania worse.

Some scientists have concluded that the incidence of Bipolar disorder's rising in our present day society is connected to the development of artificial light; In the past most people's sleep cycles were regulated by the sun before the development of electricity.  Now it is more likely that people who have a genetic predisposition for Bipolar disorder will develop the condition according to this theory.

Approximately 85% of patients with unipolar depression report that they suffer from insomnia, although most bipolar patients experience hypersomnia during depressive episodes. Hypersomnia is also a characteristic of SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder , there is also a decreased quality of sleep, which is also found in depressive patients,. Poor sleep can lead to fibromyalgia, a painful muscle disorder.  Depressed patients and those with fibromyalgia are often treated with antidepressants, and when combined with regulating sleep habits is an effective form of treatment. 

Insomniacs should not stay in bed if they can't sleep. Persons with hypersomnia are advised to reduce the amount of time spent sleeping to a normal amount.  Treatment-resistant rapid cycling bipolar disorder patients can benefit from a regulating of sleep habits. 

If you suffer from any type of mood disorder, pay attention to the sleeping pattern. If insomnia, hypersomnia, poor sleep or reduced need for sleep are present, it should be brought to a doctor's attention right away.

Nightmares occur frequently in bipolar disorder.  Researchers found that dreams of bipolar depressed patients have more anxiety than those of unipolar patients. This is particulary true of Rapid Cyclers. 

Bipolar children frequently suffer from nightmares with dreams of explicit violence, 

Nightmares occur frequently in bipolar disorder.  Researchers found that dreams of bipolar depressed patients have more anxiety than those of unipolar patients. This is particularly true of Rapid Cyclers. 

Bipolar children frequently suffer from nightmares with dreams of explicit violence, and bloody death. Most children sleep and dream and have a nightmare or bad dream once in a while, many children with bipolar disorder may endure hour after hour of night terrors.

Night terrors and sleepwalking, restless leg syndrome, teeth grinding make up are a group of disorders called Parasomnia. Night terrors are not dreams, and occur either during deep sleep or in a state between deep and dreaming sleep.

People who experience night terrors appear to awaken, recognize no one, and have symptoms of extreme fear, screaming,and have been know to actually flee, running from the room. 

Night terrors are rare in adults, however bipolar disorder and depression with anxiety were the most common factors associated with adults who reported night terrors.

Whatever is the cause of disrupted sleep patterns they should be addressed by seeking help from a professional they may have an underling physical condition.  Treatment of sleeping disorders when they are caused by a mood disorder is often uncomplicated with favorable results.  Lack of sleep can cause numerous problems for a person with Bipolar disorder and the benefits to treatment can be a turning point in the course of the illness.  Many persons are stabilized once they have the sleeping problem treated.

Who Pays?

There is a shortage of psychiatrists in most of the hospitals serving American vets in much of the country's VA hospitals. According to information released by the Department of Veterans Affairs in Montana veterans wait an average of five weeks to begin counseling. Experts report that the effects of war show an increase of Post Traumatic Syndrome since 2000.

The VA has at least a 20% shortage of psychiatrists in hospital in the Northwest, Southern states and California.

It is difficult to attract psychiatrists to rural areas and states in which the cost of living is high is a problem which persists even in private hospitals. The VA relies on psychiatric nurses or physician assistants in VA hospitals. Veterans who start therapy at nearly a third of VA hospitals wait longer 14 days to receive treatment by psychiatrists. Some of the longest wait times for one-on-one psychiatric can be on an average 37 days such as in some hospitals in Alabama and parts of Florida.

There is a national shortage of psychiatrists fewer medical school students have applied for psychiatry residencies and the majority of practicing psychiatrists are 55 or older. In psychiatry nearly 55% are in this age bracket, making it the second oldest group of physicians. The low rate of medical school graduates choosing psychiatry is partly to blame for this fact.

There is a need for ways to attract young medical students to the field of psychiatry to meet patients’ mental health needs. Patients are relying on their primary care doctors for treatment of disorders b est treated by a professional in the field; these doctors are not adequately trained for treating disorders of the mind.

With the number of people with mental disorders seeking treatment and others who are mandated by the courts the need for specialists in the diagnosis and treatment of these disorders has become critical. It is virtually impossible to predict when or who a mental illness will strike critical care occurs and often the only resort family or law enforcement persons has is a trip to the local emergency room and/or hospitalization. Often the person ends up in a homeless shelter or jail. With the dire need for treatment many patients are being misdiagnosed or medicated incorrectly due to the shortage of trained personnel.

Everyone has the right to prompt and adequate care without psychiatrists the gaps in relieving the symptoms of a major mental disorder is being denied to everyone in need and on the whole society pays.