Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder characterized by alternating states of depression and mania that follow each other in a repeating cycle. People with bipolar disorder may cycle through these states quickly or may experience long periods of depression or mania. Often one mood state predominates, while the other occurs only infrequently or briefly. The cause of bipolar disorder is unknown.
What are the symptoms of bipolar disorder?
Symptoms of the elevated mood stage of bipolar disorder include an exaggerated sense of confidence and well-being, racing thoughts, excessive talking, distractibility, increased desire for pleasurable activity, decreased need for sleep, impulsivity, irritability, and impairment in judgment. The depressed phase includes symptoms of sadness, fatigue, pessimism, feelings of helplessness, low self-esteem, and loss of interest in life, possibly with thoughts of suicide.
How is it treated?
Conventional treatment includes medications such as lithium carbonate, valproate, carbamazepine, and lamotrigine to stabilize the mood and offset depression. In addition, psychological therapies and sleep management are sometimes recommended. Other medications, such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, and antianxiety drugs, are also common components of conventional treatment. In severe cases requiring hospitalization due to rapid or pronounced mood swings, electroconvulsive therapy (electrical impulses applied to the brain) may be administered.
Lifestyle changes that may be helpful:
Exercise influences the production and use of neurotransmitters and hormones in the body, and its antidepressant effect is well known. A preliminary study of the effects of vigorous exercise on the body chemistry of patients with bipolar disorder found that exercise increased a specific chemical associated with better mood. However, exercise may adversely influence the effectiveness of some medications used for bipolar disorder. Many people with bipolar disorder take lithium, and because lithium is lost in sweat, exercise that involves significant sweating may change blood levels of lithium. Such a change has been reported in one person; therefore, people taking lithium who intend to start a vigorous exercise program should be monitored by their doctor.
Nutritional supplements that may be helpful:
People diagnosed with depression may have lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids. A double-blind trial found that bipolar patients taking 9.6 grams of omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil per day in addition to their conventional medications had significant improvements compared with those taking placebo.
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