Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depressive disease or manic depressive psychosis, is a disorder characterized by unusual fluctuations in mood and ability to function of the person.
To better understand the variability of mood, we can think of the thermostat of a house: the task of the thermostat is to keep the temperature stable and regular and to respond to changes in the surrounding environment. The limbic system of our brain represents the thermostat of the state of mind and is responsible for keeping it stable and regular, ensuring that it responds adequately to stimuli and changes in the environment. In bipolar disorder the limbic system does not work properly and this causes the mood to become variable, unstable and independent of the environment.
Bipolar disorder is characterized, in fact, by the alternation of a depressive state and a manic (or hypomanic) state; when there is a coexistence of depressive symptoms and manic symptoms (i.e. you are neither completely depressed, nor completely in mania), with the predominance of irritability, anxiety and restlessness, you may present instead, the mixed state of.
We must not, however, confuse what are commonly defined as "ups and downs" of mood, which each of us can have in the course of their daily lives, with the severe manifestations of bipolar disorder, which can, however, ruin interpersonal relationships, cause the loss of work and, in extreme cases, hesitate in suicidal behavior.
Bipolar disorder can be treated; the treatment of the disorder must be conducted by specialists who are familiar with the disease. This disease is fully compatible with a normal, brilliant and productive life, but the treatment you undergo very often lasts a lifetime. Like cardiological diseases and diabetes, in fact, bipolar disorder is a long-term disease that must be constantly monitored throughout the patient's life.
In most cases, the disease is not easily recognized and people can get sick for years before receiving a proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
About 4% of the population has bipolar disorder. This disorder usually occurs for the first time before the age of 30 and the first episode can be either manic or mixed. It is slightly more frequent in women. How bipolar disorder manifests itself
In bipolar disorder there are depressive and manic (or hypomaniacal) episodes.
Symptoms of the depressive phase
The symptoms of depression are well known: depressed mood, thoughts oriented towards depression (e.g. "I will never make it!"; "There is no more hope!"), feeling of fatigue and lack of energy, psychomotor agitation or slowdown, anxiety, ,), sleep disorders (excess sleep, difficulty falling asleep, night awakenings with difficulty in getting back to sleep), ideas of death, lack of hope, lack of appetite or - in rare cases - hyperphagia, inability to get pleasure from activities that in the past provided joy and satisfaction, feeling that others may not understand this situation and that they are unnecessarily optimistic, reduced sexual desire, difficulty in concentration and attention, feelings of guilt and inferiority, irritability.
It is very important not to confuse depression with a normal feeling of sadness or with the physiological and natural depression following a bereavement or a loss. A depressive episode can be spoken of if the symptoms persist for a period of at least 2 weeks.
Symptoms of the manic phase
The mania, on the other hand, manifests itself in a rather striking way, even if with different gradations. The main symptoms are: excessive good mood and perceived by others as unusual, very uninhibited behavior, extreme ease in spending money, shopping, feeling of energy as intense as ever and a sense of tirelessness, cheerfulness, hyper-attention but with distractibility, ability to start many activities simultaneously but with little ability to carry them out, aggressive and impulsive behavior with serious consequences both work and personal, increased restlessness, , , extreme irritability, increased speed of thought, , enormous distractibility, reduced need for sleep, unrealistic confidence in one's own abilities, decreased judgment, , increased sexual desire, provocative attitudes, modification of one's own way of wearing makeup or clothes to use a more flashy and seductive (sometimes inappropriate) style. A manic episode is said to occur if the symptoms persist for more than a week.
Hypomania
Hypomania is a less intense altered state of mind than mania. It is necessary, however, to differentiate hypomania from happiness, because the former has no precise cause, is perceived by others as unusual, presents with instability of mood and is usually preceded by a depressive phase.