What Are The Symptoms Of Bipolar I Disorder
During a manic episode in someone with bipolar disorder, elevated mood can manifest itself as either euphoria or as irritability.
Abnormal behavior during manic episodes includes:
- Flying suddenly from one idea to the next
- Rapid, “pressured” , and loud speech
- Increased energy, with hyperactivity and a decreased need for sleep
- Inflated self-image
- Substance abuse
People in manic episodes may spend money far beyond their means, have sex with people they wouldn’t otherwise, or pursue grandiose, unrealistic plans. In severe manic episodes, a person loses touch with reality. They may become delusional and behave bizarrely.
Untreated, an episode of mania can last anywhere from a few days to several months. Most commonly, symptoms continue for a few weeks to a few months. Depression may follow shortly after, or not appear for weeks or months.
Many people with bipolar I disorder experience long periods without symptoms in between episodes. A minority has rapid-cycling symptoms of mania and depression, in which they may have distinct periods of mania or depression four or more times within a year. People can also have mood episodes with “mixed features,” in which manic and depressive symptoms occur simultaneously, or may alternate from one pole to the other within the same day.
How Is Bipolar Disorder Different In Elderly Adults Than In A Younger Person
Seniors have similar symptoms as younger adults with bipolar disorder, although seniors are likely to have longer hospital stays. Younger adults are more likely to have substance abuse issues in addition to bipolar symptoms.
Elderly adults are also more likely to show a mix of depression and manic symptoms. These are very serious issues in seniors, and it is often overlooked that the rate of suicide is higher in senior years than in any other age group, Shapiro says.
Its Important To Keep Talking
Initially, your loved one may not understand completely. Thats OK. Give them time.
Explain to them that youre working to manage your condition and get the help you need. And that their encouragement and support is needed as well. Let them know the conversations you share help build a strong foundation from which you can hopefully move forward.
Also Check: Schizophrenia Inheritance Rate
Bipolar Disorder May Become Easier To Manage In Later Life But Its Important To Stay Alert To Changes In Physical Health And How Well Your Medication Works
One day you notice your smile lines have turned into wrinkles. Or maybe your back and knees creak after a flag football game. Its inevitable: The passage of time brings changes in the body, in relationships, in outlook.
The mantle of maturity often fosters a stronger sense of self, even as midlife marks the creeping arrival of senior moments and medical issues. Parents have to adapt to an empty nest, which can be an emotional challenge even as it leaves more time and freedom to focus on personal pursuits. Ditto for those who step back from the workplace.
How does bipolar play into all of this? Mood shifts may change or intensify. Medications that worked for decades may lose their potency or start contributing to other health conditions. Yet years of accumulated knowledge can yield a better grasp of how to maintain balance.
Of course, everyones journey with bipolar is different. At 69, Dennis hasnt noticed any differences in his bipolar I symptoms.
They always say that as we get older, we change, he says. Ive been doing well on the same dose of medication for 25 years. Maybe these things happen a little later than people think.
Or maybe some credit goes to Denniss daily walks around Boston and longtime involvement with a local Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance chapter.
One of the cornerstones of aging well is nurturing social connections, Forester says: People who maintain relationships with other people tend to do better. Thats really, really important.
Who Experiences Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder usually begins in older teens and young adults, with at least half of all cases appearing before age 25. Children and adolescents, however, can develop this disease in more severe forms and often in combination with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder . Some studies have indicated that bipolar depression is genetically inherited, occurring more commonly within families.
While bipolar disorder occurs equally in women and men, women are more likely to meet criteria for bipolar II disorder. Women with bipolar disorder may switch moods more quickly this is called “rapid cycling.” Varying levels of sex hormones and activity of the thyroid gland in the neck, together with the tendency to be prescribed antidepressants, may contribute to the more rapid cycling seen in women. Women may also experience more periods of depression than men.
An estimated 60 percent of all people with bipolar disorder have drug or alcohol dependence. It has also been shown to occur frequently in people with seasonal depression and certain anxiety disorders, like post-traumatic stress disorder .
Read Also: Effexor Vs Pristiq For Anxiety
Go To Couples Counseling
Couples counseling is essential for working through upset over a bipolar partners actions. Its common for someone with bipolar disorder to hurt and offend their partner. When someone is first diagnosed, there are often relationship issues that need to be addressed. Couples counseling can help you:
- Understand that theres an illness involved in the hurtful behavior.
- Forgive the behavior that happened during an altered mood state.
- Set boundaries with a partner about maintaining treatment.
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:
Read Also: What Does The Word Phobia Mean
What Risks And Complications Can Bipolar Disorder Cause
There can be complications and risks for people who live with bipolar disorder. But these risks can be lessened with the right support and treatment.
What about suicide and self-harm?
You might have an illness where you experience psychosis, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Your risk of suicide is estimated to be between 5% and 6% higher than the general population.
You are more likely to try to take your own life if you have a history of attempted suicide and depression. It is important that you get the right treatment for your symptoms of depression and have an up to date crisis plan.
There is also research that suggests you are 30% – 40% more likely to self-harm if you live with bipolar disorder.
What about financial risk?
If you have mania or hypomania you may struggle to manage your finances. You may spend lots of money without thinking about the effect that it may have on your life.
You could make a Lasting Power of Attorney. This is a legal process. This means that you pick someone that you trust to manage your finances if you lack mental capacity to manage them by yourself.
You can work with your carer and mental health team. You can form an action plan. This can say what they can do if you have a period of mania or hypomania and you start to make poor financial decisions.
What about physical health risk?
What about alcohol and drugs risk?
If you want advice or help with alcohol or drug use contact your GP.
What about driving risk?
Diagnosing Bipolar Disorder In Older Adults
It was once believed that bipolar disorder burns out over the course of ones life. This belief was likely caused by the prevalence of bipolar disorder diagnoses in teens and young adults. More than half of bipolar disorder cases begin before age 25, according to NAMI.
Numerous studies have debunked the myth that bipolar disorder only affects young people. In recent years, theres been increased research on late onset bipolar disorder . A 2015 report stated that nearly 25 percent of people with bipolar disorder are at least 60 years old.
Most research considers bipolar disorder that begins at 50 years old or later to be LOBD. Between 5 and 10 percent of people with bipolar disorder will be at least 50 when they first show symptoms of mania or hypomania.
It can be difficult to correctly diagnose bipolar disorder symptoms in older adults. The symptoms are often confused with other conditions. Symptoms such as psychosis, sleep disturbance, and aggressiveness can be confused with dementia or depressive disorder, according to an article in Primary Psychiatry. The article also suggests that late onset manic episodes can be more closely associated with stroke, dementia, or hyperthyroidism.
You May Like: Keto Schizophrenia
What Is The Treatment For Mania Hypomania And Depression
You can check what treatment and care is recommended for bipolar disorders on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence website.
NICE produce guidelines for how health professionals should treat certain conditions. You can download these from their website at:
The NHS doesnt have to follow these recommendations. But they should have a good reason for not following them.
What medications are recommended?
Mood stabilisers are usually used to manage mania, hypomania and depressive symptoms.
The mood stabilisers we talk about in this factsheet are:
- Lithium
- Certain benzodiazepine medication
Mania and hypomaniaYou should be offered a mood stabiliser to help manage your mania or hypomania. Your doctor may refer to your medication as antimanic medication.
If you are taking antidepressants your doctor may advise you to withdraw from taking them.
You will usually be offered an antipsychotic first. The common antipsychotics used for the treatment of bipolar disorder are:
- Haloperidol
- Quetiapine
- Risperidone
If the first antipsychotic you are given doesnt work, then you should be offered a different antipsychotic medication from the list above.
If a different antipsychotic doesnt work, then you may be offered lithium to take alongside it. If the lithium doesnt work you may be offered sodium valproate to take with an antipsychotic. Sodium valproate is an anticonvulsive medication.
Sodium Valproate shouldnt be given to girls or young women who might want to get pregnant.
Psychosis In Bipolar Disorder
I have rapid cyclingbipolar II disorder with psychotic features. Although it is more common among people diagnosed with bipolar I, people who live with bipolar II also experience psychosis. 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.
Read Also: Can Diabetes Cause Anxiety
Treatments For Bipolar Disorder
The high and low phases of bipolar disorder are often so extreme that they interfere with everyday life.
But there are several options for treating bipolar disorder that can make a difference.
They aim to control the effects of an episode and help someone with bipolar disorder live life as normally as possible.
The following treatment options are available:
- medicine to prevent episodes of mania and depression these are known as mood stabilisers, and you take them every day on a long-term basis
- medicine to treat the main symptoms of depression and mania when they happen
- learning to recognise the triggers and signs of an episode of depression or mania
- psychological treatment such as talking therapy, which can help you deal with depression, and provides advice about how to improve your relationships
- lifestyle advice such as doing regular exercise, planning activities you enjoy that give you a sense of achievement, as well as advice on improving your diet and getting more sleep
It’s thought using a combination of different treatment methods is the best way to control bipolar disorder.
Help and advice for people with a long-term condition or their carers is also available from charities, support groups and associations.
This includes self-help and learning to deal with the practical aspects of a long-term condition.
Can You Adopt A Child If You Have Mental Health Issues
Mental illness is a widespread issue among many individuals. Can you adopt a child if you have a mental health issue?
You may still be able to adopt a child if you have a mental health issue. However, some mental health issues may be considered disqualifiers. Moderate depression and anxiety are common mental health issues, and treatment should not prevent your adoption eligibility. We discover more.
Each prospective adoptive parent is unique with their own set of circumstances that will need to be taken into consideration before knowing if their mental health issue will disqualify them from adopting a child.
In the United States, medication for mental illnesses is a thriving and profitable business. There seems to be a magic pill for everything, and there is more about this on Scientific American.
There are indeed mental health issues that most certainly can be helped by the use of prescribed medication.
And what about addictions like smoking? Can I adopt if I smoke?
Related Article: Have you ever wondered if adoption birth certificates look different than other birth certificates? Do Adoption Birth Certificates Look Different? FAQs is an enlightening write-up that is worth a read.
If you have a mental health issue and have not yet reached out for help, you are strongly encouraged to do so. Speak to your general care physician, a nurse, or call a helpline.
Also Check: Pristiq Meds
You Have Bouts Of Over
This is mania. Itâs a high that goes way beyond âhappyâ or âjoyful.â Some people have it often, others hardly ever.
Hypomania is a milder form of this feeling. It doesnât turn into psychosis like mania can, but itâs part of a bipolar diagnosis. You might feel great and get a lot done, but those around you might see changes in your mood and activity levels.
To get a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, you must have had at least one manic or hypomanic experience.
Signs of manic behavior include:
- Your mood isnât comfortable. It might feel good at first, especially after depression. But it quickly becomes erratic and out of control.
- Your judgment swerves way off. You take extreme risks. You make bad decisions with no thought for what might happen. For instance, you might spend money recklessly or have risky sex.
- You get bad-tempered and angry.
- You feel strung-out or edgy.
- You find it hard to sleep.
- You feel like your mind is a freeway. You might talk super-fast and hop subjects, or think you can do too many things at once.
Some episodes can mix mania and depression. For example, you might feel hyper-energetic and full of despair at the same time.
Have You Been Misdiagnosed With Bipolar 2 Disorder
Bipolar disorder is characterized by uncontrollable mood swings typically from a depressed state of functioning to either mania or hypomania. Most people with Bipolar disorder tend to have a genetic predisposition to the illness, but even those without a genetic predisposition can develop it. The trend in society among psychiatrists and mental health professionals is to make sure that a person with this condition is correctly diagnosed so that they can be properly treated.
Typically Bipolar Type 1 is relatively easy to diagnose. It is characterized by mood swings or cycles from depression to mania. The mania is generally easy to observe because the individual will appear highly talkative, stimulated, and euphoric. In Type 1, the cycles are relatively quick, resulting in shifts from depression to euphoria in hours or days. Bipolar Type 2 on the other hand, is more difficult to diagnose because cycles arent generally as rapid as Type 1 and hypomania may get mistaken for personality features.
Recommended Reading: Does Pristiq Work For Anxiety
Different Points Of View
Prof Kupka pointed out that this finding may be contradictory to his conclusions, in which sexual abuse and a family history of disease was associated with earlier onset. A possible explanation is that Prof Conus only looked at psychotic symptoms, i.e. patients who were admitted to the EPPIC, not all mania patients, and so these data may represent a specific subgroup of patients.
The insightful discussions throughout this symposium highlight the need for ongoing research in this field. Crucially, patients needs may be different depending on the age of their first treatment.
Your Depression Goes Way Deeper Than Just Feeling Down
Bipolar depression shows up in different ways for different people. You might have trouble sleeping. Or you might sleep too much, and even find it hard to get up. The smallest decisions can seem huge. Overwhelming feelings of failure, guilt, or deep loss can trigger suicidal thoughts.
Other signs to look for:
- You feel like you canât enjoy anything.
- You find it hard to focus.
- You eat too little or too much.
- Youâre weary, and your movements seem slow.
- Youâre forgetful.
For a bipolar disorder diagnosis, you must have several depression symptoms that make it hard for you to function every day for at least 2 weeks.
Don’t Miss: What Is Phobia Mean