Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression or manic
depressive psychosis, is a psychiatric disorder characterized by mood swings.
Hormonal imbalances may cause bipolar disorder. Mental stress, substance abuse,
or some other traumatic event can also contribute to triggering bipolar
disorder. Diagnosis of bipolar disorder requires at least one manic or
hypomanic episode and one depressive psychosis. Proper and effective treatment
is an important and decisive factor to reduce the onset and severity of manic
and depressive episodes. Some medicines or psychotherapy can help the patient
to live in a balanced and more pleasant way.
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Diagnosis of bipolar disorder and treatment of manic depression |
Bipolar Disorder - Diagnosis and Treatment Methods
Bipolar Disorder: Introduction
Bipolar
disorder, also known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by extreme mood swings. Symptoms can
include a very high mood called mania and episodes of depression. It is worth
noting that the average age at which symptoms of bipolar disorder is 25 years.
People with bipolar disorder have difficulty managing day-to-day tasks at
school or work or maintaining relationships. Although bipolar disease is
chronic, it is possible to control its symptoms when following an appropriate
treatment plan. There are four major types of bipolar disorder such as bipolar
I disorder, bipolar II disorder, cyclothymic disorder, and others. All
characterized by clear changes in mood, activity levels, and energy.
These moods range
from episodes of mania, as well as depression, with the possibility of
hypomanic episodes.
Diagnosis of Bipolar
Disorder
When the physician suspects that the person in front of him
suffers from bipolar disorder, he is likely to recommend a number of medical
tests and psychological
diagnoses. All of these contribute to the denial of a number of
other problems, help in the development of a specific diagnosis and determine
whether there are other complications related to this disorder.
To determine if you have bipolar disorder, the series of tests and
diagnoses include:
Physical examination: Your doctor may perform physical tests and laboratory tests to
identify any medical problems that may be causing your symptoms.
Psychological assessment: Your doctor may refer you to a psychiatrist, who will
talk to you about your thoughts, feelings, and patterns of behavior. You may
also fill out a self-assessment or questionnaire. Close family members or
friends may be asked for your permission to provide information about the
symptoms you are experiencing.
Mood Chart:
Your doctor can use a mood chart to track bipolar disorder. You may be asked to
record moods in how your mood varies, sleep patterns in how many time you sleep
or other factors that can help diagnose and find appropriate treatment.
Bipolar disorder diagnostic criteria: Your psychiatrist may compare your
symptoms with the criteria for bipolar disorder and related disorders in the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5).
This manual is published by the American Psychiatric Association and is
approved by mental health professionals for the purpose of diagnosing diseases
and mental disorders, and is adopted by different insurance companies in order
to estimate the value of compensation for the treatment of the disorder.
The criteria for diagnosing manic depression are based on the
diagnosis of the specific type of bipolar disorder and on the history and type
of seizures, such as mania, hypomania or depression.
The person with the disorder must talk with his doctor about all
the specific types of the patient, in order to increase his personal knowledge
of the health status and to be aware of ways and means of treating.
Diagnosis of childhood
bipolar disorder
Although the diagnosis of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder has the same criteria as adults, the symptoms in children and
adolescents often have different patterns and may not be strictly proportional
to the diagnostic categories.
Also, children with bipolar disorder are often diagnosed
with mental
health disorders such as Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or behavioral problems,
which may make the diagnosis more complex. A referral to a pediatric psychiatrist with bipolar disorder is recommended.
Treatment of Bipolar
Disorder
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Diagnosis of bipolar disorder and treatment of manic depression |
The Most Effective
Treatment for Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder (manic
depression) is a long-term medical condition that necessitates the
use of various medications on a daily basis to treat manic depression
throughout life, including periods in which the patient's feeling improves. The
treatment of bipolar disorder is often accompanied by constant and continuous
counseling from the psychiatrist, who has the appropriate qualifications to
address the disorder
However, other people may be involved in the therapeutic process,
including psychotherapists, social workers, and mental health nurses. This is
because bipolar disorder may affect many areas of the patient's daily life.
The appropriate and effective treatment is vital and decisive
factor to reduce the frequency of the onset of manic and depressive episodes
and reduce the severity, and the treatment helps the patient to exercise his
daily life in a balanced and more enjoyable way.
Preventive therapy is also a very important component, especially
as it continues during the period of the disease's calmness and decline.
People with bipolar disorder who are not given preventive and
permanent treatment are at increased risk of recurrence of symptoms of the
disease at higher and faster rates. They also make themselves more prone to
moderate episodes of hypomania or severe depressive episodes. If the patient
also has any problems with alcohol or addictive substances, he should also be
given treatment because of the severe adverse effects of bipolar disorder.
Treatment focuses on symptom management. Depending on your needs,
treatment may include:
Pharmaceutical: You will often need to start taking medications to
balance your mood immediately.
Continuous therapy: Bipolar disorder requires lifelong medication therapy,
even during periods of improvement, where people who go beyond treatment are at
high risk of relapse or mild mood changes that turn into complete obsession or
depression.
Daily treatment programs: Your doctor may recommend a daily treatment program.
These programs provide the support and advice you need when controlling
symptoms.
Treatment of drug abuse: If you have problems with alcohol or drugs, you will
also need treatment for drug abuse. Failure to do so may be very difficult to
manage bipolar disorder.
Hospitalization: Your doctor may recommend that you go to the hospital if your
conditions are critical and serious, such as feeling
suicide or becoming detached from reality. Access to
psychiatric treatment at the hospital may help keep you calm, safe and steady
in your mood, whether you have a bout of obsession or depression.
Basic treatments for bipolar disorder include medication and
psychological counseling for symptom control, and may also include education
and support groups.
The main and central treatments adopted to deal with bipolar
disorder include:
Drug Therapy
Drug therapy is an important central compound in the treatment of
bipolar disorder. Because drug therapy usually causes severe side effects -
although rare - a patient may be stopped from taking prescribed drugs. In this
case, he should go to his psychiatrist in the mental health department to
change the treatment to give him the most effective and most appropriate
treatment, personally.
Medication
A combination of drugs is used to treat bipolar disorder. The
types and doses of drugs have been described based on the specific symptoms
they experience.
Medications may include:
Mood stabilizers: You will usually need mood-stabilizing medication to control
manic episodes or hypomania. Examples include Lithium stabilizers (Lithobid),
valproic acid (Depakene), carbamazepine (Tegretol, and other drugs)and
lamotrigine (Lamictal).
Antipsychotics: If the symptoms of depression or obsession persist
with other drugs, the addition of an antipsychotic drug such as olanzapine),
risperidone, quetiapine, aripiprazole (Abilify), Geodon, lurasidone (latuda).
Your doctor may recommend some medications alone or with mood stabilizers.
Antidepressants: Your doctor may add an antidepressant to help control
depression. Because an antidepressant sometimes causes a manic episode, it is
often described as a mood stabilizer or antipsychotic.
Antidepressant – antipsychotic: The combination of antidepressants
and antipsychotics can be used for the treatment of depressive episodes and
mood swings.
Anti-anxiety agent (anxiolytic): Benzodiazepines may be useful for treating anxiety or
improving sleep but are usually used for a short period of time.
Psychotropic drugs such as Zyprexa (Olanzapine), Risperidone
(Risperdal), which can help those who do not benefit from antiviral drugs
(Convulsions). As well as anti-anxiety drugs, such as benzodiazepines, this may
help improve the quality of sleep. In addition, a certain drug, Quetiapine, has
been confirmed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an effective
treatment for bipolar disorder and manic
depression.
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Diagnosis of bipolar disorder and Treatment of manic depression |
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