Bipolar disorder is a mental illness with periods of altered mood. In between these periods or phases, the mood can be perfectly fine. The name bipolar refers to the two poles of the phases, depression and euphoria (called mania).
These mood swings to which we refer are not the normal ones that we usually have in which one can be somewhat more depressed or happy, it is a state that interferes significantly with daily activities and interpersonal relationships.
Causes
There is no single cause of bipolar disorder. Why it appears in some people is still being studied. So far, a number of factors have been identified that increase the risk of developing it. These include genetic factors and alterations in brain function.
Bipolar disorder is considered a familial disease, that is, you are more likely to have it if you have relatives who suffer from it. This is because genetics influences the predisposition to appear, although it does not imply that it is inherited in all cases where there is a family history.
Symptoms
As it has been commented, it is a disease that has depressive periods and others of euphoria, reason why the symptoms are different in each one of these phases.
– In the depressive phases, symptoms typical of depression appear, including sad mood, hopelessness, decreased interest in activities previously performed, difficulty concentrating, decreased energy, irritability, decreased appetite, decreased libido and sleep disturbances.
– On the other hand, in the phases of euphoria, the mood is usually increased, with a feeling of omnipotence, increased activity and energy, decreased need for sleep, faster than usual thinking and language, planning of new projects and risky behaviors.
Depending on the level in this phase, one speaks of mania (very increased) and hypomania (less increased). It is necessary to call the attention the term of mania, that in Spanish this term in psychiatry does not have anything to do with its meaning in the colloquial language, the mania in medicine is what has been described, whereas the colloquial manias are framed between the obsessive and compulsive symptoms, own of other disorders.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis is based, as in many medical specialties, on a correct clinical examination, in which the person’s biography, symptoms, family history, etc. are collected. At the moment, there are no complementary tests (laboratory or imaging) to confirm the diagnosis, although they should be performed to rule out possible diseases with similar symptoms. Although it may seem that the diagnosis is arbitrary and subjective, this is not the case, since international classifications detail a series of criteria necessary to make the diagnosis.
Treatment
The objective of the treatment for bipolar disorder is not the cure, since it is a chronic disease, but the stabilization of the state of mind and the control of the phases with the idea that there is the minimum impact and the best quality of life in the person and in his environment. For this, it is necessary to treat with different drugs according to the phase in which the person is and to use other drugs to avoid relapses. Thus, on the one hand, there would be a long-term treatment, which tries to maintain the mood in normality, and on the other hand, medication that treats the depressive and manic periods.
In addition to pharmacological treatments, there are other complementary psychotherapeutic approaches, such as psychoeducation, cognitive behavioral therapy, or family-centered therapy, which can help to make the course and phases of the disease as non-disruptive as possible in the life of the person with bipolar disorder and his or her family members.
As with all illnesses, treatment is not the same for everyone, as the response varies from one person to another, so it must be done on a case-by-case basis. However, there are a number of general therapeutic guidelines on which the design of specific treatment is based.