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.

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….

This is a good inquiry. You see, Bipolar Disorder is extremely misunderstood. It’s actually a mood disorder, just like A depressive disorder, though has distinctive indications than Clinical depression.

Symptoms:

You will find different types that have different qualifying signs and symptoms. However generally, you need to have mood extremes. These extremes are called Depression and Mania.

Depression is rather well-known to most people. It is generally portrayed as a chronic unhappiness, which in many situations it is. Though, there are more signs and symptoms than just those. Including lack of interest in activities as well as irritability.

Mania is a bit more foreign to most people. This is the ‘up’ to Depression’s ‘down’. Though, just like Major depression, does not at all times connote unhappiness, Mania doesn’t at all times signify happiness. You can find frequently feelings of ecstasy, decreased sleep, extravagant thoughts, in addition to invincibility. These cause many Bipolar sufferers to get in trouble with the law or else friends and family in periods of Mania. There exists, additionally, a subtype of Mania named Hypomania. This indicates a Manic episode which did not necessarily fulfill the factors for a full episode.

Some people with Bipolar Disorder may also go through a Mixed Episode. This will have features from both Mania and Depression going on in the same point in time. Though this sounds impossible, it’s a regular occurrence for those with Bipolar Disorder.

Diagnosis:

A medical doctor must make the official diagnosis for Bipolar Disorder. Frequently, a psychiatric specialist will be the doctor making the diagnosis after an interview and maybe some tests also. There are presently no surefire tests for this. Blood tests and such have yet to be developed for this problem which is just why misdiagnoses happen.

Want to learn more about the bipolar disorder signs ? Try Mooditis

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.

Bipolar Disorder (I and II) is NOT a joke or an imaginary disorder!

I hope that my videos will help others in the world who suffer from BPD. I want them to know that they are not alone. I want them to know that it’s okay…..I want them to know that we are normal….I want them to know that there is help out there for us. The longer we wait to get help, the harder it gets. As the disorder gets worse, it gets harder to seek the help that we need.

I was tired of losing family members and friends because of my behavior and couldn’t deal with it anymore…..so I chose to seek help.

Yes, it is VERY hard to admit having a mental disorder but you can’t run from it.

For more information –

http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/bipolar-2-disorder

http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/default.htm

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

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Bipolar Disorder is complex in that there is not a single symptom or a single type of disorder. Some of the major symptoms are the unstable shifts of emotions and mood swings from the very high (mania) to the lowest of the low (depression) and the in between know as the middle hippo mania. The levels of the symptoms have a vast range from severe to rather mild and may include certain periods with no symptoms appearing at all.

Bipolar Signs

Bipolar disorder symptoms are not universal and not all people will experience the same symptoms or even those who do experience the same symptoms, the severity will differ. Bipolar disease has many factors that can affect it and they are unique to each family and to each individual. Bipolar disorder is common and can be very serious if it is left untreated. If signs or symptoms of bipolar disorder appear, immediately seek the attention of a psychiatrist.

There are many symptoms to depression and they are similar for severe depression. Symptoms include: increased or decreased sleep, decreased interest, feelings of guilt, decreased energy, decreased concentration, decreased or increased appetite, changes in motor activity and suicidal thoughts or plans.

Children with Bipolar

The knowledge of how to recognize and handle a child with bipolar disorder is imperative for parents, teachers, counselors, school staff and teachers. Identifying the signs and symptoms early on can be incredibly beneficial to the future treatment and well-being of the child. Co-operation between everyone involved with help alleviate future behavioral, academic and social issues.

Seeking Treatment

Both mood stabilizing medication and counseling are indicated in the treatment of bipolar disorder. It is crucial that those with bipolar disorder learn about their medication and the side effects associated with the drugs. A reliable system needs to be implemented to ensure that the patient takes their medication regularly, even when they are feeling better and stable. Not taking the medication on a regular basis will lead to severe episodes, relapses and hospitalization. Those around the bipolar patient, such as family and friends, should continue to monitor the patient’s mood, sleep patterns, change in eating habits and behaviors to prevent the onset of manic or depressive episodes. Bipolar patients should not use alcohol or drugs, even mild drugs such as marijuana can make symptoms worse. It is essential that those with bipolar disorder lead a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet, adequate sleep and regular exercise. Such a healthy lifestyle will aid in lowering stress levels and improving quality of life.

Expert: David Thomas
Contact: www.WTGTampa.com
Bio: Dr. David Thomas has been certified as a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Florida since 1986 and the National Board of Certified Counselors since 1987.
Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz

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All of us have our daily ups and downs with some days really down and other days we are full of life. But those suffering from this mental illness called bipolar disorder, their good days are really high and their low days very, very low. Individuals with symptoms of bipolar disorder can have problems with their work, their school performance, relationships can nosedive and their day to day activities disrupted. Bipolar disorder is a treatable disease, but a lot of patients are not able to recognize the warning signs and get immediate help. It must be noted that this mental disorder can get worse if its not treated on time. Therefore it is important to know and learn the symptoms and seek help immediately. In other words relatives and friends must be able to recognize the symptoms for it is the way forward to getting bipolar symptoms under control.

Known as manic depression, bipolar disorder which is a mental disease has serious shifting of mood, energy level, thoughts, and behavior. The highs are the mania on one side and the lows depression on the other. The cycles of bipolar can last for days, and some people weeks, or even months. These mood swings are not like ordinary, mood changes because with bipolar disorder it is severe and usually interferes with day to day normal activities.

The Difference of Mania and Depression

When people are going through bipolar mania symptoms they can become impulsive and leave their jobs all of a sudden. They can accumulate credit cards with lots of credit and sleep for a few hours with lots of energy. People s going through the depressive episode, this same person can become tired even after a long rest with feelings of being helpless and hopeless.

What Causes Bipolar Disease Symptoms?

Nobody really knows what causes bipolar disorder. It is believed that this mental illness is passed on by family members, biological and environmental. Bipolar symptoms can be noticed in young children as young as two but that has to be verified by the experts. The bipolar symptoms in children can be both subtle and confusing. In adults it is straight forward, the only difficulty is other symptoms similar to bipolar showing together. It is probably the reason why many people are misdiagnosed. With the right diagnosis and treatment bipolar victims can live a normal life.

Treatment with Bipolar Medication

When doctors are treating bipolar disorder – mood stabilizers are used to help control the lows and highs of bipolar symptoms. While medication may have its side effects, they are the key in the treatment of both mania and depression symptoms. Lithium is one of the oldest but very effective mood stabilizer. It is also very effective for the treatment of bipolar mania.

Expert: Virginia Intelisano
Bio: Virginia Intelisano is a master’s level mental health counselor who works for Personal Enrichment Through Mental Health Services.
Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz

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Note: This was an assignment for school. Please do not be offended if the video shows exaggerated or unrealistically stupid situations.

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