What is Bipolar Disorder and How do you treat It

• Bipolar disorder (formerly called manic-depressive illness or manic depression) is a mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.
• Symptoms can include an extremely elevated mood called mania. They can also include episodes of depression.
• When you become depressed, you may feel sad or hopeless and lose interest or pleasure in most activities. When your mood shifts to mania or hypomania (less extreme than mania), you may feel euphoric, full of energy or unusually irritable. These mood swings can affect sleep, energy, activity, judgment, behaviour and the ability to think clearly.
• It’s an Episodic illness.
• Signs and symptoms of bipolardisorders may include other features, such as anxious distress, melancholy, psychosis or others.
• Symptoms of bipolar disorder can be difficult to identify in children and teens. It's often hard to tell whether these are normal ups and downs, the results of stress or trauma, or signs of a mental health problem other than bipolar disorder.
• Suicidal thoughts and behaviour are common among people with bipolar disorder. It has to be recognized early and the patient needs to seek the help of a Mental Health professional immediately.
• Many factors may play a role in Bipolar Disorders, including genetics, brain biology and chemistry, and life events such as trauma, loss of a loved one, a difficult relationship, an early childhood experience, or any stressful situation.
• Bio-Psycho-Social Model is implicated in its etiology.
• Bipolar disorders can cooccur with other psychiatric and medical disorders like, Anxiety disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, Thyroid disorders, Obesity etc.
• There's no sure way to prevent bipolar disorder. However, getting treatment at the earliest sign of a mental health disorder can help prevent bipolar disorder or other mental health conditions from worsening.
• Bipolar disorder is very much treatable. Medication alone or a combination of talk therapy (psychotherapy) and medication are often used to manage the disorder over time. Each person is different and each treatment is individualized. Different people respond to treatment in different ways. People with bipolar disorder may need to try different medications and therapy before finding what works for them.
• Medications known as “Mood Stabilizers” are the most commonly prescribed type of medication for bipolar disorder.
• In some cases, when medication and psychotherapy have not helped, a treatment known as Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT) may be used. ECT uses a brief electrical current applied to the scalp while the patient is under anaesthesia. The procedure takes about 10-15 minutes and patients typically receive ECT two to three times a week for a total of six to 12 treatments.
• Since bipolar disorder can cause serious disruptions and create an intensely stressful family situation, family members may also benefit from professional resources, particularly mental health advocacy and support groups. From these sources, families can learn strategies to help them cope, to be an active part of the treatment and to gain support for themselves.
• Patient will definitely require rehabilitative and vocational services.
• Usually, a combination approach including life style modifications is advised