On 25.03.2023 at 03:00
Modified on 03.25.2023 at 3:00 p.m.
Bipolar disorder is a chronic psychiatric illness characterized by recurrent mood swings. The affected person alternates between states of exaltation and intense depressive episodes. What are the causes of this disease? How do you recognize it, and how do you treat it?
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It’s completely normal to have mood swings. Indeed, whatever our family and professional situation, it sometimes happens that we feel overwhelmed by certain events or, on the contrary, that we feel a great surge of exaltation, and this only lasts a few hours, even a few days. This is not the case in bipolar people.
What are bipolar disorders?
A bipolar person generally presents a normal aspect and experiences their emotions with disproportionate intensity. If you have read that a bipolar person experiences both extreme emotions (sadness and happiness) this is not exactly the case. Because a bipolar person feel all the emotions. Except that, at certain times of the day or of his daily life, the bipolar person manifests a greater spike in one emotion than in all emotions. And, with very fluctuating variations of these emotions. He can easily go from happiness to a lot of sadness or from success to a great feeling of failure and/or abandonment. Also, this person may feel empathy as well as less empathy in certain situations (saying in a virulent way the bottom of his thoughts without measuring the consequences, acts as he sees fit and does not give a damn about what others think, etc.). Finally, the bipolar person develops a certain self-confidence that they believe they are capable of overcoming anything without needing someone’s help.
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What are the symptoms of bipolar disorder?
In individuals suffering from bipolarity, these mood swings appear disproportionate, not only in their duration, but also in their intensity. Joy translates into an exaggerated state of exaltation, close to euphoria, while sadness takes on signs of depression intense and deep. These mood swings inevitably lead to phases of relational disturbances between the bipolar individual and those around him. Added to this are other symptoms such as fatigue, lack of sleep, a considerable increase in the number of school, professional, social, family activities. In addition, we also observe:
- Decreased sleep (even three hours of sleep may be enough)
- Very fertile in ideas and which can lead him to get lost in his ideas
- Difficulty concentrating on work
- Decreased self-esteem
- Thought of suicide
- Very great commotion
- Loss of appetite or large appetite leading to weight loss or considerable weight gain
- Grande distraction
- Feeling of guilt
- Feeling of failure
- Etc.
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What causes bipolar disorder?
According to some studies, the causes of bipolarity are very surely linked to genetics. Indeed, the origin ofa strong family predisposition cause the onset of bipolar disorder. These predispositions are associated with the changing character of the mood as well as great difficulty in regulating one’s emotions. Likewise, the social environment in which the patient evolvesor a stressful event of greater or lesser intensity, may be the cause of the occurrence of these bipolar disorders. Note that this disease affects about 1% of the population, both men and women. The chances of being affected by the disease increase (between 15% and 20%) when a family member is also affected.
How to treat bipolar disorder?
Once the disease is diagnosed, treatment is immediately offered to the patient to best reduce the symptoms. A medical and multidisciplinary team (general practitioner, psychologist, home help depending on the case) is then responsible for deciding on a treatment that aims to regulate the patient’s moods. Medications are prescribed for a certain period of time to significantly reduce the different phases of elation and depression, and above all to avoid major recurrences. Finally, in order to best support the patient in his illness, psychological follow-up is often recommended.
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