What is Bipolar Disorder? Its Symptoms, and How to Treat Them?

Bipolar disorder is one of the common mental health conditions affecting life. People with bipolar disorder may experience problems at school or work, exhaustion in relationships, and difficulty in daily activities. Having bipolar disorder can increase the risk of suicide, as it can lead to anxiety and substance use disorders.

According to the WHO, in 2021, about 37 million people, including 34 million adults, were living with bipolar disorder (1). The condition is often seen among working-age people, but also in youth. At the same time, the commonness of bipolar disorder among men and women is almost equal. Available data suggest that women are more often diagnosed than men. Understanding bipolar disorder and its symptoms is significant for effective treatment or therapy.

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is also called manic depression. It is a mental health condition that causes extreme shifts in mood, energy level, and behaviour. This mood swing includes emotional highs and lows. Emotional highs are also called hypomania, and lows are called mania. Hypomania is less extreme than mania.

When in depression, you may feel hopeless and lose interest in fun activities. In cases of mood swings to hypomania and mania, you may feel very happy or unusually irritable. This shift in mood can affect your ability to think, sleep, and energy levels.

Episodes of mood disorder, from depression to mania, can happen rarely or several times a year. Each one usually lasts several days. Some people might have a long period of emotional stability between these episodes. Others may often have this shift in mood from depression to mania or both at the same time.

Although bipolar disorder is a lifelong condition, you can handle your mood shifts and other symptoms with the right treatment. Mostly mental health professionals use talk therapy, also called psychotherapy, to treat bipolar disorder.

Types of Bipolar Disorder

The following are the types of bipolar disorder,

Bipolar I Disorder

People with bipolar I experience one or more episodes of mania. Most people with bipolar I may go through episodes of both mania and depression. One episode of depression is not necessary for a diagnosis. The depressive episodes in bipolar disorder generally last for two weeks. To diagnose bipolar I, your manic episodes must last at least seven days or be so severe that you need help. People can also experience mixed states with bipolar I.

Bipolar II Disorder 

People with bipolar II experience extreme depression and hypomania. But they never experience a full mania, which is a symptom of bipolar I disorder. While hypomania is less damaging than mania, bipolar II disorder is often more draining than bipolar I because chronic depression is common in bipolar II.

Cyclothymic Disorder

People with this disorder have a repeatedly unstable state of mood. They experience mild depression and hypomania for at least two years. With cyclothemia, people may have a normal mood for a brief period, but it only lasts fewer than eight weeks.

Other Specified and Unspecified Bipolar Disorder

If a person did not have the symptoms of bipolar I, II, or cyclothymia but was experiencing significant abnormal mood shifts. This disorder falls under the specified and unspecified bipolar disorder.

What Are the Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder?

The mood shifts in bipolar disorder are called mania, hypomania, and depressive episodes with different symptoms. Its symptoms are different in every individual and may change over time.

Mania and Hypomania

These two are different but have almost the same symptoms. Mania is more serious than hypomania and can cause problems in daily activities and interactions with others. Mania may also break a person from reality, called psychosis.

Symptoms

• More active, energetic, or anxious than usual.
• Feeling low confidence or too self-confident.
• Need less sleep than usual.
• Unusually talkative or talking fast.
• Having competing thoughts
• Jumping quickly from one topic to another.
• Easily distracted.
• Poor decision-making.

Episodes of Major Depression

One major depressive episode has symptoms that are enough to disturb your daily activities. An episode may include these symptoms,

• Depressed mood and feeling sad, empty, hopeless, or tearful. Children and teens who are depressed can feel irritated, angry, or hostile.
• Loss of interest or feeling no pleasure in almost all activities.
• Losing weight without dieting or overeating, and gaining weight. It can be a symptom of depression in children who don’t gain weight.
• Sleeping too long or too little.
• Feeling restless or functioning more slowly than usual.
• Loss of energy or feeling very tired.
• Feeling unworthy or feeling too guilty when it’s not necessary.
• Experience hard to think or concentrating, or making poor decisions.
• Thinking about or attempting suicide.

Bipolar Disorder Symptoms in Females

Although bipolar disorder is a common mental condition, women often have more episodes of depression than men. Bipolar disorder symptoms are different in women.

Severe Hypomania

Women with bipolar disorder experience more severe hypomania than men. It means they are more likely to have bipolar II disorder. During a hypomanic episode in women, they have symptoms of mania, like excitement, high energy, and hastiness. But these symptoms are less extreme than mania.

More Mixed Episodes

Women tend to have more mixed episodes than men. When women have symptoms of depression, mania, or hypomania at the same time is called a mixed episode. Contrary to this, men have separate episodes of mania and depression.

More Anxiety

During mixed episodes, women often experience anxiety. Women with bipolar disorder are also more likely than men to have anxiety attacks or anxiety disorders.

More Depression

Women often experience a depressive episode first, before a manic or hypomanic episode. The symptoms include a down mood, focus problems, appetite, and sleep changes. Women also tend to experience multiple depressive episodes during their lifetime and may have depression with psychosis.

Seasonal Triggers

Women also experience seasonal mood shifts in different seasons, especially in the spring and fall.

More Rapid Cycling

Women may also experience more rapid cycling of bipolar disorder. It is when you have 4 or more mood shifts in a year.

More Suicidal Attempt

There are more chances that a woman with bipolar disorder will attempt suicide.’

Hormonal Triggers

Bipolar disorder symptoms in women can be visible with the natural hormonal changes. For example, hormonal changes happen during pregnancy, menopause, and postpartum. Some women experience symptoms that get worse or better in a month with their menstrual cycle.

Associated Mental Health Conditions

Women are more often experiencing other mental health conditions along with bipolar disorder than men. These other conditions can be post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), borderline personality disorder, and an eating disorder.

Physical Symptoms and Health Problems

Individuals with bipolar disorder can also experience physical health problems. Women with bipolar disorder can have migraines, autoimmune disease, and hypothyroidism.

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder in Teens

It is hard to identify bipolar disorder symptoms in teens and children, whether these mood shifts are usual ups and downs or due to stress or trauma. These may be signs of other mental health conditions than bipolar disorder.

Teens and children may have different major depressive, manic, or hypomanic symptoms. But the pattern of these signs will be different from that of adults with bipolar disorder. They may experience fast mood shifts during episodes. One of the most noticeable signs of bipolar disorder in teens and children may be extreme mood shifts compared to usual.

What are the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder in Older Adults?

The bipolar disorder in older adults appears as quick cycling between moods, more often depression, and more, which can cause other medical conditions.

The following are the key symptoms of bipolar disorder in older adults.

• Severe mood swings
• Memory loss
• Cognitive dysfunctioning
• Social withdrawal
• Co-existing physical conditions
• Delusions or hallucinations

How to Treat Bipolar Disorder?

Different types of therapies to treat bipolar disorder include,

Psychotherapy

It represents different treatment techniques that help a person identify and change unhealthy thoughts and behaviours. A mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist, can provide support and guidance to you for the specific mental health condition.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

It is a structured therapy to help you understand your emotions and thoughts. Your therapist will help you to learn how your thinking process affects your actions. Through cognitive behavioral therapy, you can eliminate negative thoughts and learn to adopt healthy habits.

Psychoeducation

Psychoeducation is one of the effective techniques in which mental health professionals teach people about their mental condition. Bipolar disorder is a complex condition, and it is important to learn about the symptoms and their effects to cope with them.

Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT)

This therapy works with biological and social rhythms to help improve your mood. IPSRT is very effective for people with bipolar disorder. With this therapy, you can manage stressful life events and reduce disturbance in your social life. It teaches you helpful skills, so that you can protect yourself from future manic and depression.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

DBT is worth considering when struggling with bipolar disorder. It can be an effective option to treat bipolar disorder as it targets emotional dysregulation.

DBT has several benefits for people with bipolar disorder, including

• Emotional regulation
• Reduce negative behaviors
• Less vulnerability to strong emotions

Seek Professional Help 

At Advanced Health Preference Group, we have a team committed to providing comprehensive treatment for bipolar disorder. We are here to offer the professional support and guidance required to overcome any mental health condition. Manage Bipolar Disorder with the Advanced Health Preference Group. It is significant to seek help from a mental health professional if you have symptoms of bipolar disorder. Early intervention will help you to manage mood shifts and improve your daily life.

Final Words

Bipolar disorder can disturb your life, bringing a rollercoaster of emotions. There are different types of bipolar disorder, and each type has its own pattern, symptoms, challenges, and treatments. Knowing the difference can help you to choose the right treatment. You need to seek help from a psychiatrist to regain a sense of control over your mood swings. Psychiatrists treat this mental health condition through various therapies that help to improve emotional regulation