Bipolar Disorder

Published: 10/09/2010 - Updated: 02/07/2018

Bipolar, also known as manic-depressive disorder is a condition that, while not new, in recent years has increased more strongly, which strangely affects intelligent, educated and talented people, but also can often affect other types of people.

What is bipolar disorder?

It is a disorder characterized by a person who tends to swing constantly between two opposite moods. These two poles mood is known as the depressive pole and the euphoric pole, which "rise and fall", cycling the mood of the person to whom could be seen in a very lively and exuberant way and suddenly stop and move to an episode of severe depression. These two contrasting moods usually have the same duration.

How to detect this condition?

Diagnose this condition is not always easy because it could be confused with other conditions such as psychic obsession, compulsiveness and depression. Most of the time it requires professional help to ensure an accurate diagnosis. However, there are some common symptoms when suffering from this disorder listed below.

General symptoms to detect a possible bipolar disorder:

When the person is in the depressive pole, usually the following behaviors happen:

  • Intense depression, which can last up to two weeks. In this period the person usually shows little enthusiasm for any activity and a feeling of being "empty", the mood is irritable, evasive and / or indifferent, as if nothing mattered.
  • Lack of attention and concentration, vague answers, and these are slow and disinterested.
  • Feelings of guilt or that "I have not done well" or "there is something very wrong with me"
  • Loss of sense or reason to live.
  • Loss of appetite and significant weight gain or loss.
  • Insomnia or wanting to sleep all the time.
  • Talking and reacting slowly and leisurely expressions.
  • Excessive Fatigue.
  • Poor personal value, feeling that everything that has been done has been worthwhile.
  • Vague thoughts of death or suicide.
  • Difficulty in making decisions.

When a person is in the euphoric pole, the general symptoms are:

  • Enthusiasm overflowing but irrational.
  • Speaking overflow and compulsively cannot stop talking, their ideas are expressed at the moment they emerge in the mind without absorption or reflection time.
  • Irritating or intolerance of others around, because of feelings of superiority or greatness and exaggerated self-esteem.
  • The person does not have much sleep and sleeps little, get up at dawn to perform everyday tasks, with two or three hours of sleep a person feels rested enough.
  • Hostile and violent temperament.
  • Attention focused on superficial things.
  • Exaggerated acceleration of movement.
  • Anxiety and need for social events or distractions like excessive work, etc.
  • Social activities increased exaggerated during everyday like going to parties, meetings, etc.
  • Abnormal and exaggerated sexual need.
  • Doing compulsive or risky activities such as driving at high speed in the car, playing compulsive gambling and betting services, wasting money on shopping, business absurdities, drugs or alcohol in an excessive manner, and more.

Between these two poles, we can mention some others that are know as hypomanic pole and the mixed disorder which are the prelude to the euphoric period. These poles do not always occur in people with bipolar disorders, but note and detail their general symptoms:

Hypomanic Pole: This state is usually occurs four or five days before the person has an euphoric episode. The symptoms are the same as in the episode euphoric but not present with the intensity of this period, so they do not produce as many problems with the people around them including family, friends, etc.

The mixed disorder: is not common but it manifests itself, as its name implies, with symptoms of both poles but at a faster rate, sudden and abrupt. The time between a pole and another can happen in even minutes. The treatment for this disorder is much more complex and lengthy.

Note that these comings and goings contrasting emotional states usually happens when the person will have a special event that requires a special meaning, as an appointment, birthdays, etc.

Why does it happen?

Despite several investigations carried out by conventional medicine, there is not a definitive cause that can determine the source of this disorder. On the other hand, integrative medicine has contemplated that the disorder is rooted in a character where the person has lost the deeper meaning of the life or feels trapped or limited by certain conditions that limit the full realization, conditions which sees no chance to get out and feels subjected to certain tasks due to a lack of value and self-assurance. This character also tends to be ambitious and very demanding of him/herself, but could not meet the stringent demands or personal accomplishments, often leads to a severe emotional imbalance and uncontrolled drift slowly in a nerve disorder which is known as bipolar. Somehow, people have blocked communication being bipolar consistently with their emotional world because they don’t know how to remedy the conditions and make them lose the true meaning and depth of their lives.

About bipolar

Figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Beethoven, Van Gohgh and others, may have suffered from this disorder. Figures of famous celebrities and politicians now also been mentioned as part of this group.

Treatments

The person should be treated with a professional who appoint the appropriate treatment. A poor treatment may emphasize strongly on the person suffering from psychiatric conditions.

Fortunately, there are effective alternatives that can be taken and which are in most cases successful. Allopathic medicine includes antidepressants and anticonvulsants (mood stabilizers); to neutralize the pole euphoric, they are prescribed to people to relax and induce sleep. The lithium carbonate is often used by psychiatrists in order to help the brain to respond appropriately. This treatment should be conducted by a doctor and requires hospitalization in a psychiatric institution in the early stages of treatment, depending on the severity of the condition. Psychotherapy, on the other hand, is a helpful supplement during treatment.

Natural Treatment

Natural medicine also provides highly efficient alternatives to support the cure for this disorder.

Foot Reflexology: an interesting alternative to treat this disorder, and that through the stimulation of nerve endings, sends signals to the spinal cord and brain which in turn sends instructions to organs and muscles with poor performance. Combining this technique with a proper diet and psychotherapeutic support is an effective way to treat bipolar disorder. In addition, reflexology improves lymphatic circulation, blood and energy, low stress and tension, and force the cardiovascular system to work properly.

Bio-energetic therapy: as reflexology, this alternative is in charge of treating the patient by means of pressure on certain points within the body and which help to stimulate the nervous system and to work efficiently. Through this technique, you can stimulate more than seven nerves, resulting in the openness and fluidity of neuronal pathways.

Emotional and psychological treatment:

It is an essential complement to any treatment, both natural and conventional, of bipolarity. A good integral therapist will know that to treat this disorder the patient must go profound restructuring his/her life, not just a treatment, but a new vision of life, something that will return the respect and encouraged to reorganize their lives in a pleasant and freer way. You should talk to the person of an attractive and progressive change in his/her life, and should help to sort ideas and to structure a project with which they identify. This therapy is very good emotionally after a reflexology session, when the patient is a little more balanced emotionally and can begin to establish a coherent dialogue.

About the author
  • K. Laura Garcés G

    Writer, therapist and lecturer. She is a lover of natural medicine and the power of mind and emotions in body and life. In addition, he has studied nutrition and develops appropriate diets to support this healing process.She has written more than 1500 articles in magazines in Spain and Mexico, winner of two literature contests. Linkedin.

2 Replies to “Bipolar Disorder”
  • Jaason says:

    My father told me that used to have this problem when I was younger, and that I caused a lot of problems to my entire family, I actually don?t remember very good that but I do, and it?s true, people with this problem just get mad because they do and then just happy and it?s really weird. Finally, my family opted for a special treatment in a center and it was actually really quick, and I think there weren?t more problems after that.

  • Stacy says:

    I’m fairly certain…actually…I think I know, that my old landlady was bipolar. She seemed absolutely crazy and I never felt comfortable around her because I never knew when she was going to “change”. She had CRAZY mood swings every day, and from hour to hour! It was like, she’d be on ecstasy in the morning and then by afternoon she was rampaging.