Bipolar Disorder, Its Diagnosis and Treatment
Abstract
Bipolar disorder is a specific kind of a mental illnesses which is cured quite effectively with nowadays medicine. Its symptoms are well studied but cases of misdiagnosis are not rare, because many other mental diseases have the same ones. Although, many medicines used for this purpose have negative effect on patient’s health. Exploring of mechanism of action of existing drugs and discovering of new ones is an perspective area of pharmacy. Psychiatric therapy is also used widely for bipolar disorder treatment, but its effectiveness is discussed. Generally, the majority of researchers in area of bipolar disorder causes and treatment consider psychiatric therapy one of necessary components of effective treatment.
BIPOLAR DISORDER, ITS DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Diagnosis and treating of mental illnesses are one of the most complicated areas of medicine. Despite that existence of mental illnesses was a well-known fact through all the history of the mankind, its treating became effective only in the second half of XX century. There are many illnesses studied deficiently in this area.
Bipolar disorder is one of mental diseases which symptoms are studied thoroughly, however, its causes and treatment which does not palliate symptoms only have not been found yet. There is a variety of theories about bipolar disorder but none of them was able to provide full explanation of this illness.
Basic symptoms of bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder is also known as bipolar affective disorder, manic depression or bipolar illness. According to American Psychiatry Association (2013), the main characteristic of bipolar disorder is alternation of periods of depression and mania. Person is abnormally energetic or irritable during manic periods, while during depression periods it feels melancholic and has negative views on the environment.
Actually, depression periods are usually longer then manic ones. If symptoms of a disorder are not expressed brightly, a cyclotimic disorder can be diagnosed instead of bipolar one. Except from that, this illness is usually associated with such diseases like anxiety disorder or substance use disorder.
Manic episodes
Manic episodes in a bipolar disorder usually continue not longer than six months if they are not treated. The main symptoms which characterize patient during this period are elevated mood which can rapidly change from enthusiasm to rage, hurried speech and thoughts, inability to concentrate patient’s attention.
Also, manic episodes often contain activity oriented on a proper goal which is considered hugely important by patient. This activities can be risky or strange for patient, like overly active shopping or exceptional sexual activity. Patient is hyperactive and can have a decreased need of sleep.
In addition, hypomanic episodes were separated like a special form of manic episodes. They have the same symptoms as manic episodes and continue for a few weeks or event months, but hypomanic ones do not affect on ability of person to behave properly in the society. In spite of that fact, according to American Psychiatry Association (2013), symptoms of hypomanic episodes turn them into manic ones …
