The Keys To Bipolar Disorder Self
Get educated. Learn as much as you can about bipolar disorder. The more you know, the better youll be at assisting your own recovery.
Get moving. Exercise has a beneficial impact on mood and may reduce the number of bipolar episodes you experience. Aerobic exercise that activates arm and leg movement such as running, walking, swimming, dancing, climbing or drumming may be especially beneficial to your brain and nervous system.
Keep stress in check. Avoid high-stress situations, maintain a healthy work-life balance, and try relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, or deep breathing.
Seek support. Its important to have people you can turn to for help and encouragement. Try joining a support group or talking to a trusted friend. Reaching out is not a sign of weakness and it wont mean youre a burden to others. In fact, most friends will be flattered that you trust them enough to confide in them, and it will only strengthen your relationship.
Stay closely connected to friends and family. Nothing is as calming to the nervous system as face-to-face contact with caring supportive people who can just listen to you talk about what youre experiencing.
Make healthy choices. Healthy sleeping and eating habits can help stabilize your moods. Keeping a regular sleep schedule is particularly important.
Monitor your moods. Keep track of your symptoms and watch for signs that your moods are swinging out of control so you can stop the problem before it starts.
Patterns Of Depression And Mania
If you have bipolar disorder, you may have episodes of depression more regularly than episodes of mania, or vice versa.
Between episodes of depression and mania, you may sometimes have periods where you have a “normal” mood.
The patterns are not always the same and some people may experience:
- rapid cycling where a person with bipolar disorder repeatedly swings from a high to a low phase quickly without having a “normal” period in between
- mixed state where a person with bipolar disorder experiences symptoms of depression and mania together for example, overactivity with a depressed mood
If your mood swings last a long time but are not severe enough to be classed as bipolar disorder, you may be diagnosed with a mild form of bipolar disorder called cyclothymia.
Get Involved With Treatment
Ask if you can be involved with your partners treatment, which may include occasionally going to the psychiatrist together. Being a part of your partners treatment has multiple benefits, including:
- Gaining a better understanding of the illness.
- Providing additional insight for the psychiatrist.
- Learning to spot signs of impending episodes.
- Alerting the psychiatrist about mood changes.
Even if your partner hasnt signed off on you exchanging information with their psychiatrist, you can still report worrisome signs . This gives the doctor a chance to make quick medication changes that may help your partner avoid being hospitalized.
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Bipolar Relationships: What To Expect
Ups and downs are natural in any romantic relationship, but when your partner has bipolar disorder it can feel like youre on an emotional rollercoaster. Not knowing what to expect each day is stressful and tiring. Over time, it wears on the relationship.
Understanding why your partner acts out sometimes or becomes withdrawn is the first supportive step you can take in strengthening your relationship. Learn exactly what a bipolar diagnosis means, how it could affect your partners behavior and what you can do to foster a healthy, stable relationship.
Psychosis In Bipolar Disorder
I have rapid cyclingbipolar II disorder with psychotic features. I experienced undiagnosed psychotic symptoms from age 19 to 31, when I was finally diagnosed. Ive had hallucinations and delusions all of my adult life. What scares me is that no oneand I mean no oneeducated me about psychosis when I was diagnosed. It was as if the symptoms didnt exist. When I learned the extent of my psychosis, I was appalled that I had lived with it for so long.
My symptoms were mostly visual hallucinations and paranoid delusions. I didnt know that others didnt have them as well! If you have bipolar I disorder, there is a 70% chance of full-on psychosis when you are in a full-blown manic episode. This psychosis can be very bizarre and mimic schizophrenia. The difference? People with bipolar disorder only have psychosis during a manic or depressed mood swing. There is no psychosis outside of depression or mania.
If a person experiences psychosis in between episodes, this is not bipolar disorder but another mental health condition. Do you or your loved ones have psychosis? If bipolar disorder is involved, psychosis could be involved as well.
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Bipolar Disorder And Anger: Why It Happens And How To Cope
Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that causes unexpected and often dramatic shifts in mood.
During whats known as a manic period, these moods can be intense and euphoric. During a depressive period, they may leave you feeling sad and despairing. Thats why bipolar disorder is also sometimes called manic-depressive disorder.
The changes in mood associated with bipolar disorder cause changes in energy too. People experiencing a bipolar disorder episode often have different behaviors, activity levels, and more.
People with bipolar disorder often experience irritability. This emotion is common during manic episodes, but it can occur at other times too.
A person whos irritable is easily upset and often bristles at others attempts to help them. They may be easily annoyed or aggravated with someones requests to talk. If the requests become persistent or other factors come into play, the person may anger easily and often.
Keep reading to learn more about what may be behind this emotion and what you can do about it.
Ruling Out Other Conditions
If you experience extreme shifts in your mood that disrupt your daily routine, you should see your doctor. There are no specific blood tests or brain scans to diagnose bipolar disorder. Even so, your doctor may perform a physical exam and order lab tests, including a thyroid function test and urine analyses. These tests can help determine if other conditions or factors could be causing your symptoms.
A thyroid function test is a blood test that measures how well your thyroid gland functions. The thyroid produces and secretes hormones that help regulate many bodily functions. If your body doesnt receive enough of the thyroid hormone, known as hypothyroidism, your brain may not function properly. As a result, you may have problems with depressive symptoms or develop a mood disorder.
Sometimes, certain thyroid issues cause symptoms that are similar to those of bipolar disorder. Symptoms may also be a side effect of medications. After other possible causes are ruled out, your doctor will likely refer you to a mental health specialist.
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What Is A Major Depressive Episode
People with bipolar disorder may also experience periods of depression. During a major depressive episode, a person may feel sad, helpless, or hopeless and lose interest in activities.
Bouts of depression alter a persons thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and may be short or long term. During a depressive episode, a persons thoughts may become overwhelmingly sparse or slow to process. Other symptoms may include:
- Losing interest in enjoyable activities.
- Excessive feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or helplessness, or feeling overwhelmed.
- Slowed thinking or fewer thoughts than usual.
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.
- Changes in eating patterns, including reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain.
- Changes in sleep, such as sleeping too much or too little, or insomnia.
- Loss of interest in sex.
- Thinking about, planning, or attempting suicide.
Coping With Bipolar Disorder
Living with bipolar disorder can be challenging, but there are ways to help make it easier for yourself, a friend, or a loved one.
- Get treatment and stick with itrecovery takes time and its not easy. But treatment is the best way to start feeling better.
- Keep medical and therapy appointments and talk with the provider about treatment options.
- Take all medicines as directed.
- Structure activities: keep a routine for eating and sleeping, and make sure to get enough sleep and exercise.
- Learn to recognize your mood swings and warning signs, such as decreased sleep.
- Ask for help when trying to stick with your treatment.
- Be patient improvement takes time. Social support helps.
- Avoid misuse of alcohol and drugs.
Remember: Bipolar disorder is a lifelong illness, but long-term, ongoing treatment can help control symptoms and enable you to live a healthy life.
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Dangerous Aggressive And Violent Behavior In Bipolar Disorder
I work with parents and partners of those with bipolar disorder. In the majority of situations, people who are in a strong dysphoric manic episode can be dangerous, aggressive, and violent. Physical assault and weapons are not uncommon. Many men go to jail because of this behavior when they actually need psychiatric help. People who are mild-mannered and kind when well, both men and women, get superhuman strength along with the aggressionripping a sink out of the wall, punching through windows, throwing chairs, and other dangerous behaviors are not uncommon.
Families and partners suffer in silence because they are scared to tell anyone about what really goes on at home.
I have violent thoughts when dysphoric mania is raging. I used to chase down cars if the driver flipped me off or made a strange face. It is not my goal to scare anyone reading this. Its my goal that we are honest about these hidden and pushed-under-the-rug symptoms of bipolar disorder.
The solution is management. People with bipolar do not have these symptoms unless the mood swings are raging. Prevent the mood swings, and you can prevent the dangerous, aggressive, and violent behavior.
Bipolar Disorder And Other Conditions
Some bipolar disorder symptoms are similar to those of other illnesses, which can make it challenging for a health care provider to make a diagnosis. In addition, many people may have bipolar disorder along with another mental disorder or condition, such as an anxiety disorder, substance use disorder, or an eating disorder. People with bipolar disorder have an increased chance of having thyroid disease, migraine headaches, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other physical illnesses.
Psychosis: Sometimes, a person with severe episodes of mania or depression may experience psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations or delusions. The psychotic symptoms tend to match the persons extreme mood. For example:
- People having psychotic symptoms during a manic episode may have the unrealistic belief that they are famous, have a lot of money, or have special powers.
- People having psychotic symptoms during a depressive episode may falsely believe they are financially ruined and penniless, have committed a crime, or have an unrecognized serious illness.
As a result, people with bipolar disorder who also have psychotic symptoms are sometimes incorrectly diagnosed with schizophrenia. When people have symptoms of bipolar disorder and also experience periods of psychosis that are separate from mood episodes, the appropriate diagnosis may be schizoaffective disorder.
Anxiety: It is common for people with bipolar disorder to also have an anxiety disorder.
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What Does It Mean If Your Partner Is Bipolar
Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition marked by intense mood changes. People with the illness switch back and forth from mania or hypomania to having episodes of depression.
The lifelong condition tends to run in families, although the cause of bipolar disease is unknown. However, it can often be successfully managed through treatment. There are two primary types of bipolar disorder:
Bipolar Disorder And Sexual Health
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder. People who have bipolar disorder experience high levels of both euphoria and depression. Their moods can go from one extreme to the other.
Life events, medication, and drug misuse can trigger mania and depression. Both moods can last from a few days to a few months.
Bipolar disorder can also affect your sexuality and sexual activity.
During a manic episode, you may experience hypersexuality, or an increase in sexual activity. It may place you at an increased risk for actions that may have negative effects, such as contracting a sexually transmitted infection .
During a depressive episode, you may lose interest in sex. These sexual issues can create problems in relationships and may lower your self-esteem.
During a manic episode, your sex drive and sexual impulses can often lead to sexual behavior thats atypical for you when you arent experiencing episodes of mania.
Examples of hypersexuality during a manic episode can include:
- greatly increased sexual activity without a feeling of sexual satisfaction
- sex with multiple partners, including strangers
Hypersexuality can be a challenging symptom if you have bipolar disorder.
More studies that look at prevalence of this condition are needed.
A 2016 study published in Psychiatry Journal compared the sexual behavior of two groups:
- people with bipolar disorder who were treated as outpatients in private practice
- people treated as outpatients who didnt have affective disorder or schizophrenia
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Stuck In An Obsessive Thought & Behavior Loop
This is the toughest blog I have written. I usually look forward to writing and sharing my experiences with you. But today my mind is in another place.
This is happening to me now. I recently started gardening. I enjoy it until it is all I am thinking about and all that I am doing.
I know I am obsessing in the garden when I keep having the same thoughts over and over again. I will go from one thing to another and then come full circle. I will do this over and over because I want to keep gardening even though there is nothing left to do.
I find myself just sitting and looking at the plants for a long while. Then I see a stem that needs to be trimmed and I do it. Then I look for more stems. Then I check the water for the fourth time. I am being pulled to stay there. So I sit.
What Are The Treatments For Bipolar Disorder
Treatments for bipolar disorder are aimed at managing a persons symptoms, including mood swings and bouts of depression and mania. After careful medical evaluation and diagnosis, your doctor will recommend a treatment plan to manage your symptoms, which typically involves therapy or counseling and medication. Although many of the symptoms of bipolar disorder overlap those of depression, the drug therapy treatments are different.
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How Do I Get Help If I Think I Have Bipolar Disorder
The usual first step to getting help is to speak to your GP.
It can help to keep a record of your moods. This can help you and your GP to understand your mood swings. Bipolar UK have a mood diary and a mood scale on their website. You can find their details in the Useful contacts section at the bottom of this page.
Your GP cant diagnose bipolar disorder. Only a psychiatrist can make a formal diagnosis. Your GP may arrange an appointment with a psychiatrist if you have:
- depression, and
- ever felt very excited or not in control of your mood or behaviour for at least 4 days in a row.
They might refer you to a psychiatrist at your local NHS community mental health team .
Your GP should make an urgent referral to the CMHT if they think that you might have mania or severe depression. Or there is a chance that you are a danger to yourself or someone else.
Your GP should refer you to your local NHS early intervention team if you have an episode of psychosis and its your first one.
Bipolar disorder can be difficult to diagnose because it affects everyone differently. Also, the symptoms of bipolar disorder can be experienced by people who have other mental illness diagnoses. It can take a long time to get a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
You can find more information about:
- NHS mental health teams by clicking here.
The Upside Of Bipolar Behavior
People with bipolar disorder often do things that have negative consequences that can impact themselves and/or others.
But there is an upside!
Without the behavior, bipolar symptoms of mood alone would be far more difficult to diagnose and manage.
How can bad behavior ever be a good thing?
It is both good and useful because it makes the internal and subjective experience of bipolar symptoms objective, observable, and externalized.
This is very important for arriving at an accurate diagnosis.
My own diagnosis finally happened this way. My psychiatrist was treating me for depression and we had tried some medications that were making me worse instead of better. When I casually mentioned to her some shopping I had done , there was an aha moment. These sort of irrational spending sprees are classic bipolar behavior. I had been unable to adequately describe my thoughts and feelings, but this allowed my psychiatrist to ask me about other activities.
It was a conversation that changed and saved my life.
Further, if you and your loved ones know the behaviors that indicate you are entering an episode of mania or depression, it is possible to intervene before any damage is done. This can result in a positive spiral. Fewer episodes and relapses improves coping skills and brain health, just as more frequent episodes become a negative spiral.
We also have bipolar prodromes or a bipolar relapse signature, which is bipolar behavior that signals the onset of mania or depression.
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Is Anger A Side Effect Of Medication Used To Treat Bipolar Disorder
Prescription medication is one of the primary ways doctors treat bipolar disorder. Doctors often prescribe a variety of medications for the disorder. Mood stabilizers such as lithium are usually part of the mix.
Lithium can help treat symptoms of bipolar disorder. It can also improve the brain chemical imbalances believed to be responsible for the disorder in the first place.
Although there are anecdotal reports of people experiencing increased episodes of irritability and anger after taking lithium, they arent considered side effects of the medication.
Side effects of mood stabilizers such as lithium include:
- restlessness
- dry mouth
Changes in emotions are often the result of your body learning to adjust to the new chemicals. Thats why its important that you continue to take your medication as prescribed by your doctor.
Even if new symptoms crop up, dont stop taking your medication without first discussing it with your doctor. If you do, it may cause an unexpected shift in your emotions and increase your risk of side effects.
Everyone gets upset from time to time. Anger can be a normal, healthy reaction to something thats happened in your life.
However, anger thats uncontrollable or prevents you from interacting with another person is a problem.
If you think this strong emotion is preventing you from having a healthy relationship with friends, loved ones, and colleagues, it may be time to see a doctor.
The following steps may help you manage any shifts in emotions.