Bipolar Disorder: Symptoms, Causes and more

Bipolar disorder, often known as manic-depressive disorder is related with mood swings ranging from depression to the extremity of mania. When you are feeling low, you may lose interest in certain activities and cut out from the rest of the world. When your mood’s pendulum shifts to the other side, you may feel ecstatic and full of energy. Mood swings may vary from time to time. They can happen only a few times or several times. In certain cases, bipolar depression symptoms of depression and mania can happen simultaneously.

Even though bipolar disorder is a disturbing and long-term health issue, you can always keep a tap on mood swings by following a proper treatment plan. Most of the time, bipolar disorders can be easily managed with the help of medications and psychotherapy.

Symptoms

Bipolar disorder is specified into categories each having different set of symptoms including:

• Bipolar disorder 1: Mood swings are associated with bipolar 1 disorder and can cause immense loss in relationships, jobs and studies. Freaking attacks can be extreme and treacherous.
• Bipolar disorder 2: As compared to bipolar 1 disorder, bipolar 2 disorder is less extreme. You can occasionally suffer from frustration, irritability but largely you can carry on your day-to-day activities without much of a hassle. Instead of suffering from intense mania, you suffer from hypomania- a less severe form of mania. In this disorder, duration of depression lasts longer than duration of hypomania.
• Cyclothymic disorder: Cyclothymic disorder is a lighter form of bipolar disorder. With cyclothymia, depression and hypomania can be troublesome but mood swings can be easily managed as they are with other types of bipolar disorders.

The precise symptoms of bipolar disorder differ from individual to individual. For some people, depression can cause much worries, for other people maniac situations are main worries. Symptoms of hypomania and depression can occur together. This is called mixed episode.

Listed below are some of the signs that Maniac Phase show:

• Poor judgment
• Fast speech
• Behavior becomes aggressive
• Frequent altercations
• Decreased sleep
• Use of drugs or alcohol
• Regular absence from work
• Frustration
• Reduced performance at work  

Signs and symptoms of distressing phase of bipolar disease:

• Sleep issues
• Tiredness
• Despair
• Difficulty in concentration
• Low appetite
• Felling cut out from the world
• Anxiety problems

Causes

The precise cause of bipolar disorder is still unknown. However, there are certain factors believed to be associated with the disease:

• Patients with bipolar disease tend to develop physical changes in the brain. How these changes happen and why they appear, is unsure.
• Unevenness in the brain chemicals plays an important role in causing bipolar disorder and other mood disorders.
• Hormonal imbalance is also attributed to bipolar disorder.
• Bipolar disorder is seen more in people who have inherited this disease from a sibling or parent. 

Risk Factors

Factors that may increase the development of bipolar disorder are:

• Someone in the relation carrying the bipolar disorder gene.
• Taking high levels of stress.
• Inadequate drug intake.
• Early age, especially early 20s. 

When to see a psychiatrist

When you start experiencing symptoms of depression, stress or hypomania, see your psychiatrist immediately. Bipolar disorder does not heal itself. Getting help from a medical service provider will do a great deal managing your symptoms.