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The person in my life who suffered from bipolar disorder chose not to go down the treatment road which ultimately led my family to leave, so learning about treatment options helps me stay educated about all the availability of ways to help one’s self manage the symptoms.

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What is the treatment for Bipolar Disorder?

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What is the treatment for Bipolar Disorder?

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Sticking to the treatment plan is crucial in learning how to manage the symptoms as efficiently as possible. Sticking to medications, even if symptoms show signs of improvement only serves to increase the chance of relapse and making minor symptoms or mood swings more severe. Also, breaking a daily routine of treatment can cause a trigger that can cause an episode outbreak.

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What is the treatment for Bipolar Disorder?

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What is the treatment for Bipolar Disorder?

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Psychotherapy can also be given in group or individual settings. One type of therapy is called Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy where a person works on establishing a set daily routine to help manage the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Another type of therapy is cognitive behavioral therapy which helps the patient find their triggers and manage their symptoms like stress. Psychoeducation is most often taught in a group with the patient and their family to help educate everyone on the disorder so the whole family can be on the same page. Finally, family-focused therapy helps communication and holds the patient accountable for reaching their goals.

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What is the treatment for Bipolar Disorder?

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What is the treatment for Bipolar Disorder?

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After getting diagnosed by medical professionals, a person usually starts taking medication to lessen some of the symptoms of the disorder, such as depression medication, mood stabilizers, anxiety medication, and anti-psychotic medication to make the mood swings less severe.

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I lived with a person who suffered from bipolar disorder for 6 years of my life, and learning about how other families struggle with coping with the struggles of a loved one helps me understand that people who have family members with bipolar disorder are not alone in their challenges.

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How does Bipolar Disorder affect other people?

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How does Bipolar Disorder affect other people?

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Adapting to the sudden changes of character while living with someone with bipolar disorder can be a difficult task as family roles can change, dangerous behavior can accompany episodes, and other health problems due to rise in stress. Since a person suffering from bipolar disorder has very sudden and oftentimes unexpected switches in mood or personality, their family has to be willing and ready to adapt to the change at all times. This can add extra stress and exhaustion to the family’s life.

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How does Bipolar Disorder affect other people?

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How does Bipolar Disorder affect other people?

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Coping with a family member that is struggling with bipolar disorder can be proven to be difficult because of the variance of the symptoms. When a person is in a manic episode, they will sometimes feel so elated they go on a shopping spree and spend all of their money, but while a person is in a depressive episode, they might not be able to get out of bed and go to work. Coping with the changes in a person’s character and accepting the challenges of living with someone who can be unintentionally impulsive can prove to be difficult.

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How does Bipolar Disorder affect other people?

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How does Bipolar Disorder affect other people?

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Having a family member suffer from any mental illness can be an overwhelming experience, but having a member of the family suffer from bipolar disorder raises a new kind of challenge because it is nearly impossible to tell what you will get on any given day. The stress on a family with a member that is suffering from bipolar disorder depends on the severity of the member’s symptoms. Type 2 Bipolar Disorder generally has less severe symptoms, so for a family would have an easier time coping with the mood swings and struggles that come along with it. Type 1 Bipolar Disorder has more severity of the symptoms oftentimes making it harder to cope with the dramatic mood swings.

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Learning about the effects of bipolar disorder on the body can help me understand what is going on in people’s bodies when they are suffering from this disorder so that I can better help them get through the tough times.

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How does Bipolar Disorder affect the body?

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How does Bipolar Disorder affect the body?

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According to the World Health organization, mood disorders are the leading cause of disability in the United States for people ages 15-44. There are many people suffering from bipolar disorder in the world, so the symptoms and the effects on the body are still being studied.

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How does Bipolar Disorder affect the body?

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How does Bipolar Disorder affect the body?

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Bipolar disorder comes with a plethora of symptoms that vary from person to person. It also depends on the kind of episode someone is in. For instance, when in a manic episode a patient might get insomnia, hyper activity, and increased heart and rate. When in a depressive episode, a patient might feel fatigue, be lethargic or drowsy, and unusually down on themselves. Other symptoms associated with bipolar disorder are: weight change, stomach pains, and hyperventilation.

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How does Bipolar Disorder affect the body?

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How does Bipolar Disorder affect the body?

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It is thought that bipolar disorder is caused by a mutation in the DNA that causes a problem with neurotransmitters like noradrenaline and serotonin (linked to depression and mood disorders), and dopamine (regulates neural pathways). The science behind all mental disorders is still being researched and none of it is known for sure. The tools we have today to look at how the disorders affect the body and the brain are fairly new. The breakthroughs we have had in the last decades have made a huge impact on the discovery and knowledge of mental disorders, including bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is especially hard to diagnose because it varies drastically between different patients.

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How does Bipolar Disorder affect the body?

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How does Bipolar Disorder affect the body?

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The bipolar disorder affects the central nervous system or the CNS. It can give people forgetfulness, hyperactivity, and aggressiveness. The central nervous system contains the brain, the spinal cord, and the eyes. It directly affects every single action that occurs in one’s body. Since bipolar disorder is a mental disorder, the location of the disorder is in the brain, or the control center for the entire body.

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I have very close people in my family that suffer from bipolar disorder, and it is very important to me to be educated on what they go through every day.

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Bipolar disorder can be genetic, people with type 1 bipolar disorder can commonly give their children type 2 bipolar disorder, but people with type 2 bipolar disorder don’t usually give their children bipolar disorder. A study completed by Stanford found that 51% of bipolar disorder offspring have some type of psychiatric disorder, commonly depression. Mood disorders commonly run in the family, as it is an error in a certain part of the DNA that makes the problems with the neurotransmitters.

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A person with bipolar disorder has mood swings called depressive episodes, the depressive episodes go along with manic episodes. Manic episodes are a feeling of euphoria, almost as if you are on top of the world. Depressive episodes are exactly what they sound like, they give you an extreme sense of overwhelming hopelessness. Everyone who suffers from bipolar disorder has different experiences with mood swings. For some people, their depressive episodes can last for 3 weeks and euphoric episodes can only last for 1, but for others, they might have a 2 day depressive episode and a 2 week manic episode. The manic episode is usually a shorter amount of time from the depressive episode.

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Haugen, David M., et al. Depression. Greenhaven Press, a Part of Gale, Cengage Learning, 2014.

Miller, Allen R. “What Is Bipolar Disorder?” Health Reference Center, 2007, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=100850&itemid=WE48&articleId=412470.

Mooney, Carla. Mood Disorders. ReferencePoint Press, 2011.

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"Bipolar Disorder: Effects on the family." Bipolar Disorder: Effects on the family | Here to Help. 31 May 2019 <https://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/infosheet/bipolar-disorder-effects-on-the-family>.

"Bipolar disorder." Mayo Clinic. 31 Jan. 2018. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. 31 May 2019 <https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355961>.

"13 Effects of Bipolar Disorder on the Body." Healthline. Healthline Media. 31 May 2019 &lt;https://www.healthline.com/health/bipolar-disorder/effects-on-the-body#1&gt;.

"Bipolar Disorder Causes & Risk Factors." WebMD. WebMD. 31 May 2019 &lt;https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/guide/bipolar-disorder-causes#3&gt;.

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Bipolar disorder can be classified with mood disorders, as it affects a person’s mood. People with bipolar disorder can be given treatment, but there is no cure. Bipolar disorder has many different symptoms, and everyone experiences it differently. People who suffer from bipolar disorder aren’t always in either a depressive or manic episode, they can be outside different episodes for extended periods of time. In fact, one study completed at Stanford found that usually a strong emotional trigger induced the episodes.

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All pictures are credited to Kendall Hazen