| An Introduction to Bi polar disorder |
| Written by Nancy McMahon | |
Introduction of BipolarContrary to popular misconception, bi polar disorder is not, in fact, one single disorder. Rather, bipolar disorder is a category of mood disorders. These are defined by the presence of one or several episodes of abnormal moods, which are referred to as mania. Symptoms of bi polar disorder would include a person experiencing both manic and depressive episodes, either in sudden shifts, or even both at once. When the moods are constantly shifting, this is known as rapid cycling. In the more extreme cases, these manic episodes can even involve psychotic symptoms, such as delusions or hallucinations, similar to the symptoms seen in schizophrenia.Until recently, the category of disorders called bipolar also went by the moniker of bipolar affective mood disorder. The title the disorder has today refers to the cycling between the low and high mood episodes. These disorders have also been called manic-depressive illness, a phrase coined by Emil Kraepelin just before the start of the twentieth century.The current name is used for the sake of neutrality, and to avoid the social stigma attached to terms like “manic depressive” and such. A fascinating thing to note, a number of studies have recorded a correlation between creativity and bipolar disorder. These studies have consistently shown a positive correlation between bipolar disorder and creativity. Other studies have shown bipolar disorder sufferers to have an increased inclination towards striving for and attaining goals they have set for themselves. It is unknown why, exactly, there is a correlation there, but bipolar people also tend to be more outgoing, more daring, and they tend to be more involved with the arts.Bipolar disorders break down into a few different types… Bipolar 1Bipolar 1 refers to individuals who have experienced manic episodes, though major depressive episodes are not a preclusion to this form of bi polar disorder. However, these depressive episodes are still common to bipolar 1 sufferers, just not a prerequisite to this definition.Bipolar 2Bipolar 2 refers to people who suffer from more hypomanic episodes, as well as at least one or more major depressive episodes. Hypomanic episodes differ from actual manic episodes in that they are usually not as severely detrimental or as affecting as actual manic episodes, and do not involve any degree of psychosis. Bi polar disorder 2 is hard to diagnose because the bipolar symptoms of this type are not extreme enough to be obvious signs of a disorder.For bi polar disorder 1 and 2, the specific course of the disorder will be classified as chronic, rapid cycling, catatonic, or melancholic.CyclothymiaA person suffering from cyclothymia will have a history of hypomanic episodes and periods of mild or moderate depression. Cyclothymia could be considered a regular cycling of moods on a mild or moderate scale. To a casual observer, it may seem to be just the sufferer’s way, though it may interfere with day to day functioning.Bipolar NOSBipolar disorder NOS stands for Not Otherwise Specified. This term is used to indicate bipolar illness that does not seem to quite fit with the above classifications.NOS may be hard to identify, and professionals will usually conduct extensive interviews with friends and family before administering treatment. Administering medication to someone who seems to have NOS, but in fact is merely suffering from “The Blues” or general boredom, for example, may actually result in hypomanic episodes being triggered, thus worsening the problem, rather than improving it. |
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