Bipolar Symptoms

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Helping a Loved One with Bipolar Disorder

Dealing with the ups and downs of Bipolar Disorder can be difficult—and not just for the person with the illness. The moods and behaviors of a person with bipolar disorder affect everyone around—especially family members and close friends. During a manic episode, they must cope with reckless antics, outrageous demands, explosive outbursts, and irresponsible decisions. And once the whirlwind of mania has passed, it often falls on them to deal with the consequences. During episodes of depression, they may have to pick up the slack for a loved one who doesn’t have the energy to meet responsibilities at home or work.

People with bipolar disorder do better when they have support from family members and friends. Those whose loved ones are involved and supportive tend to recover more quickly, experience fewer manic and depressive episodes, and have milder symptoms.

If someone close to you has bipolar disorder, your love and support can make a difference in treatment and recovery. You can help by learning about the illness, offering hope and encouragement, keeping track of symptoms, and being a partner in treatment. But caring for a person with bipolar disorder will take a toll if you neglect your own needs, so it’s important to find a balance between supporting your loved one and taking care of yourself.

In addition to traditional medical treatment by qualified medical professionals (which has no substitutes), we also tried some other "natural" ways of managing ups and downs of Bipolar Disorder Symptoms. Book Conquer Stress, Depression & Anxiety was really helpful in maintaining "normal" mood levels.

Probably the best solution to stop anxiety, panic attacks and phobias is Linden Method. We strongly recommend you to try it. It’s a comprehensive and natural method to deal with many symptoms that accompany Bipolar Disorder.

The good news is that most people with bipolar disorder can stabilize their moods with proper treatment, medication, and support—so if your friend or family member has bipolar disorder, take hope. Furthermore, you can play a significant
role in his or her recovery.

Here are some ways you can help a person with bipolar disorder:

• Learn about bipolar disorder. Educate yourself about bipolar disorder. Learn everything you can about the symptoms and treatment options. The more you know about bipolar disorder, the better equipped you’ll be to help your loved one and keep things in perspective.
• Encourage the person to get help. The sooner bipolar disorder is treated, the better the prognosis, so urge your friend or family member to seek professional help right away. Don’t wait to see if the person will get better without treatment.
• Be understanding. Let your friend or family member know that you’re there if he or she needs a sympathetic ear, encouragement, or assistance with treatment. Remind the person that you care and that you’ll do
  whatever you can to help.
• Be patient. Getting better takes time, even when a person is committed to treatment. Don’t expect a quick recovery or a permanent cure. Be patient with the pace of recovery and prepare for setbacks and challenges.
  Managing bipolar disorder is a lifelong process.

I wish you and loved ones health, happiness and success in overcoming Bipolar Symptoms. Please scroll down to next posts to read more….

Natalie K.

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Though not everybody may realize it, bipolar mood disorder is a genuine condition. It is frequently also called bipolar manic depression since the disorder has a tendency to cause alternating times of mania and depression. It’s a very serious illness. Some folks have a combination of bipolar schizophrenia, which is even more tricky to govern and treat. There are two different variants of the Bipolar Disorder, resulting in some inconsistent symptoms and the requirement for somewhat different treatments, though the two forms are identical in nature.

Bipolar disorder could cause mood swings that may range all the way from the lows of depression to the highs of mania. In the lows, an individual may feel downcast or hopeless or even lose interest in numerous activities. When mood shifts into the other direction, an individual may feel happy and full of energy. The incidence of mood shifts may be as little as a few times a year to as much as a few times a week. In a few cases, biploar mood disorder can cause symptoms of both depression and mania at the same time.

Bipolar disorder can cause mood swings that will range all the way from the lows of depression to the highs of mania. During the lows, an individual may feel gloomy or hopeless or even lose interest in several activities. When mood shifts into the opposite direction, an individual may feel euphoric and full of energy. The occurrence of mood shifts might be as little as a couple of times a year to as many as a couple of times a week. In a number of cases, biploar mood disorder may cause symptoms of both depression and mania at the same time.

So far, there appear to be several different factors involved in causing and triggering either a manic episode or bipolar depression. Some of these factors include, the environment where stress or serious loss can play a role in the disorder. It’s also far more usually found in people who have a blood relative,eg a sibling or parent, with the disorder. And eventually, people with bipolar disorder seem to have physical changes in their brains and researchers believe that understanding these changes can help pinpoint the reasons behind the disorder.

Bipolar disorder is basically split into one or two different sub-types, and each one has a different pattern of bipolar disorder symptoms. If someone suffers from Biploar I disorder, the mood swings may cause significant difficulties in a job, relationship or school. Manic episodes can also be serious and dangerous. In Bipolar II disorder, you can experience and elevated mood and some bad temper, but generally you can carry on with your standard, daily routine. The precise symptoms can change from person to person and this is the reason why treatment is geared toward a particular person, and not just a’one size fits all’.

So far, there seem to be several different factors concerned in causing and triggering either a manic episode or bipolar depression. Some of these factors include, the environment where stress or serious loss can perform a part in the disorder. It is also far more usually found in those who have a blood relative,eg a sibling or parent, with the disorder. And eventually, folks with bipolar disorder seem to have physical changes in their brains and analysts believe that understanding these changes can help identify the reasons for the disorder.

Want to find out more about Bipolar Manic Depression, then visit check out the bipolar Manic Depression Blog and learn what Bipolar Disorder Symptoms you or a loved maybe having trouble with.

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There are 5.7 million adults diagnosed of bipolar manic depressive disorder in the United States. Also, the 3.4 million American children and adolescents diagnosed of depression are highly likely to experience bipolar manic disorder symptoms or bipolar depression. The condition can reduce up to 9.2 years from your life span can also cause people to be suicidal or self-destructive behavior is stated by the National Health Institute of Mental Health. Hence, one of the leading causes of human disability is bipolar depressive or bipolar manic disorder. Bipolar is a psychiatric illness that causes unusual and sudden changes to mood, activity and energy levels, which may affect an individual’s ability to carry out his day to day tasks. Going from feeling very sad, helpless and despaired, manic depression symptoms can cause him/her to shift to feeling euphoric happiness, being overly active and practically on top of the world, which has been known to severe relationships, affect job and school performance, or even cause suicide.

Definition

Symptoms of bipolar manic disorder include sleeplessness, high energy levels, having large plans for activities, restlessness, talkativeness and uneasiness. Symptoms of bipolar depression are low energy with negative feelings like hopelessness, guilt, anxiety, and appetite loss. A patient might have many of these symptoms daily. The symptoms typically happen throughout the late teenage or early grown up years. The majority of patients begin having the symptoms at approximately twenty five years old. According to statistics, females are 3X more likely to have bipolar episodes than males are. The NIMH additionally says that a family history of the disorder might make an individual’s risk of having these symptoms higher.

Diagnosis

Physical examinations, interview, lab tests like blood work and brain scans and evaluation of the patient’s medical history is involved in the first step in diagnosis. The doctor may provide referral to a trained mental health specialist such as a psychiatrist, who is more experienced in handling bipolar disorder after a complete diagnostic evaluation. Extremely important in helping bipolar sufferers lead a normal life is proper and immediate diagnosis. To reduce the frequency or severity of the symptoms, it will also help provide the right kind of treatment.

Remedy

To effectively prevent relapse and bipolar episodes, a combination of medication and psychotherapy is usually recommended. Among bipolar patients, Mood stabilizers (lithium, valproic acid, and anticonvulsants), atypical antipsychotic (olanzapine, aripiprazolw, quetiapine, risperidone) and antipsychotic drugs may be prescribed. These are usually prescribed by a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist. Sleep medications or sedatives are recommended to patients having trouble sleeping in some cases. Support, guidance and education among bipolar patients as well as their families is provided by Psychotherapy or ‘talk therapy’. Several approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, family-focused therapy, interpersonal and social rhythm therapy and psycho education are involved.

Word of Caution

There are other illnesses that may coexist with bipolar manic depressive disorder, making it more difficult to diagnose and treat. Substance abuse is may prolong or trigger Bipolar Symptoms and cause behavioral problems associated with bipolar manic disorder. Anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress, social phobia or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may overlap with bipolar disorder. Also, people suffering this condition have higher risks of developing thyroid disease, migraine headaches, diabetes, obesity, heart disease and other physical illnesses. Hence, seeking professional help upon experiencing symptoms of bipolar depressive or bipolar manic disorder is advised.

Ken P Doyle has vast amounts of knowledge and experience in mental health issues. For additionalinformation on bipolar manic depressive disorder or bipolar manic disorder, look up his websitetoday.

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Most people with bipolar disorder and their loved ones have usually been told that bipolar is a chemical imbalance of the brain or a mood disorder that can be characterized by extreme mood swings. What bipolar disorder is, though, is really so much more than that.

First of all, bipolar disorder is historical. Its roots go back as far as the second century A.D., when a man named Aretaeus first recognized manic and depressive symptoms and believed that they were linked.

The disorder is physiological, since it has to do with your body, but mental as well, since it has to do with your mind.

Sometimes bipolar disorder is considered a neurological problem since it is associated with your brain, but it can also be termed a chemical imbalance of the brain, and be considered a physical disorder.

Scientists who research the disorder can tell you that it has biological roots, as they are even now studying genes that may cause Bipolar Disorder. If they discover the specific gene or genes involved in the disorder, they believe it may lead to a cure. Of course, there is great debate in the scientific community, and research still to be done before a cure can be found.

You may find that your doctor will tell you that your bipolar disorder has a medical element, as well. There is a greater risk of physical symptoms (body aches, headaches, backaches, stomach aches, etc.) when you are in a bipolar depressive episode than when you are not.

Psychiatrists, of course, confirm that bipolar disorder is a psychiatric illness. The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) was probably what your psychiatrist used to diagnose you with the disorder in the first place.

Bipolar disorder is also hereditary, as many studies have shown. It is passed down through the family.

For certain, bipolar disorder is definitely an emotional disorder. As anyone who has bipolar disorder can tell you, your moods may swing from depression to mania and back again, and there is little you can do to control it. There are also emotional side effects that can include anxiety, stress, and insomnia.

There is also a personal element to bipolar disorder, and to other mental illnesses, as well. There is such a stigma in our society toward disorders and the people who suffer with them, that many people will keep the truth of their disorder to themselves. They will not tell others they have it, and will keep their disorder a very personal thing.

Bipolar disorder is truly more than a chemical imbalance of the brain or a mere mood disorder. It is both of these things – and more.

David Oliver has the #1 website for bipolar information, symptoms, causes, medications and treatments.

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Clinical depression goes by many names -depression, “the blues,” biological depression, major depression. But it all refers to the same thing: feeling sad and depressed for weeks or months at a time, accompanied by feelings of hopelessness, lack of energy, and taking little or no pleasure in things that gave you joy in the past.

Clinical depression is an awful disease. Depression turns its victims into shells of their former selves; depression patients are stripped of all the hope and joy and emotional vitality that make life worth living in the first place. The good news, though, is that depression treatment really does work, and that the right depression treatment center really can help you rediscover the world as you used to know it.

Yes, depression treatment centers are places of hope, and of healingbut they’re also places of effort and of struggle, places where depression treatment patients get better only by virtue of the commitment they bring to the depression treatment process. There’s no gentle way out of the depression wilderness. If you want to get better, you’re going to have to work for it.

Depression matters, simply put, because depression victims matter. More to the point, depression treatment matters because depression treatment programs give depression treatment patients cause for hope, and for faith; depression treatment matters because it works, and because it saves lives. In the fight against depression, you’ll never have a greater ally than a depression treatment center you can trust.

If you’ve made it this far, you don’t have to be told how debilitating depression can be. What matters, now, is that you’re ready to take the first step: that you’re ready to enroll in a depression treatment program, and let depression treatment professionals help you get better. Please, for your own sake, make today the day you decide to start fixing tomorrow.

The right depression treatment center makes a world of difference in the depression treatment process. If you’re going to get healed, you need depression treatment that meets your individual needs, and serves your individual interests; you need depression treatment that addresses you as you actually are, without resorting to generalities or supposedly “universal” treatment solutions. If you’re going to win the fight against clinical depression, you might say, you’re going to have to win it on your own terms, get started today.

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Family dynamic forces are all the time very complex. Add to the equivalence a mentally ill soul and children often collapse under the importance and pressure of treatment the patient. There are numerous cerebral bedlam which can involve populace. Of these, mood condition like Bipolar unrest not only adopt the distinct but have sincere consequences for the entire domestic.

A person with bipolar disorder typically swings between mania and depression. These mood changes come about suddenly and can each episode can last for up to months, adversely affecting the person’s behaviour and actions. In severe cases of mania the person experiences hallucinations and delusions and in severe depression there is suicidal ideation. In either of these situations, the patient becomes very difficult to manage and there is a breakdown in communication and relationships.

If someone has bipolar disorder, it affects families to a very large degree because the person’s behaviour is abnormal and not what is accepted in society. This takes a toll on the families. For example a depressive episode will make the person lethargic, uncommunicative, and withdrawn, lose confidence and self worth, and become irritable and even suicidal. Since these people avoid meeting anyone, or if they do, seem disinterested and very sad, they make other people uncomfortable. In a manic episode the person becomes socially inappropriate by becoming overly aggressive, talking loudly and very fast, becoming reckless with the spending of money and risk taking behaviours, becoming argumentative, engaging in inappropriate sexual behaviour etc.

Bipolar mayhem gravely shape group because there is an other responsive, psychological and physical strain that comes along with taking care of an ill personality. It is very taxing to see a valued one go through the hell of a rational syndrome. This becomes exclusively obscure when the nearest and dearest don’t completely fathom the disorder and are latch unawares.

If there is a family member with Bipolar Disorder, families are affected negatively also because of the entire stigma attached to mental disorders. Families live with fear and guilt about how others will look at them. A by-product of what society thinks about mental illness is also apparent in the facilities and infrastructure provided for those affected by them and their families. This adds to the stress of taking care of someone with bipolar disorder because there is no real institutional help apart from hospitalisation which is a last resort and expensive at that.

Families are also unnatural badly if an earning delegate has bipolar illness. This form may end up manufacture bad evaluation as a grade of the condition, like rashly walk out a well paying job, or conclusive to sell the house, and thus assume the whole household.

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Channel 8 news, Singapore, in Chinese
Dated: mid-2007

Duration : 1 min 41 sec

Read the rest of this entry »

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Psychotic symptoms are hallucinations or delusions. A hallucination or delusion is a cognitive misperception of reality.

Though hallucinations are typically thought of as being visual, hallucinations can also be auditory, olfactory, or tactile. A person having an auditory hallucination may hear voices telling them to do things.

Delusions are thoughts that are not based in reality. The difference between a mere unrealistic thought and a delusion is the degree to which the thought is unconnected to reality. For example, someone may think they want to become a professional football player though they have not played well in high school. Though it may not be realistic, it is probably not a delusion by psychiatric standards. A delusion is more extreme. The person may think they have been chosen by God, are being stalked by the FBI, or have superpowers.

Psychosis is a defining characteristic of a psychiatric disorder called schizophrenia. Psychotic symptoms can also occur due to severe depression or bipolar disorder.

There are different types of schizophrenia, largely categorized based on the types of psychotic symptoms the person experiences. For example, paranoid schizophrenia often causes delusions of being watched or monitored. Some psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia can seem random.

Psychotic symptoms of Bipolar Disorder and depression are related to the mood disturbance. Psychotic symptoms of depression or depressive episodes can be much more severe than suicidal thoughts.

An example of a hallucination due to a depressive episode is hearing voices telling the person to commit suicide. Depression can cause delusions that the earth is a hellish place from which they must save their loved ones by killing them.

The psychotic symptoms of bipolar disorder from mania can be delusions of grandiosity. The person may believe they are immortal, have superpowers, or are chosen by God or somehow more special than humans.

Psychotic symptoms are not common symptoms of bipolar disorder or depression. People may experience psychotic symptoms only during the worst depressive or manic episodes of their lives and will not experience them again.

Medication to treat psychosis, commonly referred to as anti-psychotic drugs, may be used to treat psychotic symptoms of bipolar disorder. Injections of an anti-psychotic medication like Haldol may be necessary if the person is resistent to taking their medication regularly.

The person may no longer experience psychotic symptoms once the bipolar disorder or depression is stabilized. The hallucinations and delusions are the person’s reality at the time the psychotic symptoms are experienced. People experiencing psychotic episodes may become fearful of the psychosis.

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By J.K.

Having a bipolar spouse is not an uncommon instance in married people’s lives. Although a Bipolar Disorder may in ways affect the relationship, it can still be handled by strong couples. This disease can prove how couples love and understand each other because of the challenges it offers from the moment of its detection.

If you found out that you have a bipolar spouse, ask what things you should do to help him or her deal with it. Following are the “don’ts” (because the don’ts may be more important to consider as most partners react negatively upon receiving this diagnosis) in handling this kind of situation:

•    Do not judge them. Remember that this disease is a chemical imbalance which is out of their control. It is as if they are diagnosed with other biochemical diseases, such as diabetes. They do not need your opinion toward this disorder, they need your support.
•    Do not have pity for your situation. Your spouse may already be feeling guilty because of his/her burden to you. You would not want to add up to that depression as it might be dangerous for his/her condition.
•    Do not force them what option of recovery to choose. Discuss the matter with them, but allow them to make the decision. Giving ultimatums or orders would only increase their stress level, and take note that they cannot control chemical imbalances in their system.
•    Do not let yourself be the boss to handle the situation. Although you may know what is good for them, you should not start to take away or hide things from them. It will only make them feel alienated and controlled, increasing their levels of depression and desperation. It is best to consult a professional counselor about this to inform you of proper techniques. It would be better to ask your bipolar spouse to go with you, but if s/he would not, you can go alone anyway.
•    Do not be over protective. Do not handle their disorder for them because it will just wear you out. Let them be responsible for their own sickness, but you need to be there to support them.
•    Do not pretend to understand their situation because you do not. People having mood disorders are often extra sensitive to attitudes and reactions of other people so be completely honest with them. Tell them you do not know how they feel, but you are ready to help any way you can.

Following the reminders above will greatly help in handling this situation. You just need passion, sincerity, and understanding toward your partner so you can go through life with a bipolar spouse.

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Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale (BSDS) is a diagnostic tool used to determine if someone with mood disorder symptoms has bipolar disorder. The Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale contains nineteen sentences.

The Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale was designed by Ronald Pies, M.D. and refined by S. Nassir Ghaemi, M.D., M.P.H. All variations and levels of severity of bipolar disorder can be detected with the Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale.

After working with a number of people whose “treatment-resistant depression” was later determined to be undiagnosed bipolar spectrum disorder, Pies was motivated to design the diagnostic tool to accurately diagnose bipolar spectrum disorder that may otherwise be missed. Bipolar spectrum disorder is not an official diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM).

Some mental health professionals use the term bipolar spectrum disorder to include people who have Bipolar Symptoms, but whose symptoms are not severe enough to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder symptoms that are milder than the guidelines of the DSM is sometimes called soft bipolar disorder or soft bipolar spectrum disorder.

There are two sections to the Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale. The first section consists of nineteen sentences that describe the primary symptoms of bipolar disorder. The first section is completed when the patient has checked the sentences that describe their feelings or behaviors.

The second section is a rating of how the collection of sentences of section one fits their personal experiences. The score of the first section is determined by awarding one point per sentence that the patient checked as matching their personal experiences.

The score of the second section depends on how the nineteen sentence narrative is rated by the patient. Six points are added to the patient’s score if the patient indicated that the story fits them very well or almost perfectly. If the patient says the narrative fits fairly well, four points are added to the patient’s score.

Two points are added if the patient said the story fits to some degree but not in most respects. If the person says the story does not describe them at all, no points are added to their score.

Bipolar disorder is considered highly likely if the patient’s score is nineteen or higher. If the score is eleven to eighteen, there is a moderate probability of bipolar disorder. There is a low probability if the score is six to ten. Bipolar disorder is considered very unlikely if the score is under five or less.

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