Depressive episodes can include symptoms such as lack of energy, low motivation, and loss of interest in daily activities. Mood episodes last for days to months at a time and may also be associated with suicidal thoughts. Treatment usually lasts a lifetime and often involves a combination of medication and psychotherapy.
Bipolar disorder
is a mental health condition characterized by extreme changes in mood.People with bipolar disorder who have psychotic symptoms may be misdiagnosed as having schizophrenia. Treatment may also include newer therapies designed specifically for the treatment of bipolar disorder, such as interpersonal and social rhythm therapy (IPSRT) and family-centered therapy. Determining whether intensive psychotherapeutic intervention in the early stages of bipolar disorder can prevent or limit its full-fledged occurrence is an important area of ongoing research. Scientists are currently conducting research to determine the relationship these factors have in bipolar disorder, how they can help prevent its occurrence, and what role they can play in its treatment.
Bipolar disorder used to be called by other names, such as manic depression and manic-depressive disorder. Psychotherapy, also called “psychotherapy,” can be an effective part of the treatment plan for people with bipolar disorder. Health care providers sometimes prescribe antidepressant medications to treat depressive episodes in bipolar disorder, combining the antidepressant with a mood stabilizer to prevent a manic episode from triggering. Learning more about the role of genes in bipolar disorder can help researchers develop new treatments.
If you or someone you know has symptoms of bipolar disorder, talk to your family doctor or a psychiatrist. The health care team will likely recommend making lifestyle changes to stop behavior patterns that worsen symptoms of bipolar disorder. And if you're like some people with bipolar disorder, you might enjoy the feeling of euphoria and the cycles of being more productive. Although bipolar disorder affects people assigned as female at birth (AFAB) and people assigned as male at birth (AMAB) in equal numbers, the condition tends to affect them differently.
Bipolar disorder, once known as manic-depressive disorder, is a mental illness that presents extreme changes between manic emotional states and depressive emotional states. With bipolar disorder, suicide is an ever-present danger because some people become suicidal even in manic states. People with bipolar disorder are more likely to have thyroid disease, migraines, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other physical illnesses.
