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Bipolar disorder may not be the most talked about medical condition,

but it's certainly more widespread than one would like to believe. In

fact, some people suffering from the condition aren't aware of the

same and continue leading their life carrying all the baggage

associated with the disorder. If there are fluctuations in your mood,

don't ignore the sign as it could be more than just a mood swing. It

could probably be a bipolar disorder.

So, what's bipolar disorder? Is it life-threatening? Can it be

reversed? Read on to learn everything you should probably know about

the condition.

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Also called manic-depressive illness, bipolar disorder is a brain

disease causing unusual fluctuations in energy, mood, activity levels,

and general functioning abilities. If you are suffering from this

disease, you'd quite likely undergo these phases, such as:

• Feeling high (hypomanic or manic episodes)

• Feeling low (depressive episodes)

• Psychotic behavioral tendencies during depressed or manic episodes

These different feelings are called mood states.

Distinguishing Between Regular Mood Swings and Bipolar Disorder

There are three primary elements differentiating bipolar disorder from

regular mood swings:

• Intensity: Bipolar disorder-accompanied mood swings are much severe

compared to normal mood swings.

• Duration: A bad mental state disappears in days, but depression or

mania could last several weeks or months. Rapid cycling ensures moods

survive a short period but quickly oscillate between various extremes.

• Interference levels: The mood extremes accompanying bipolar disorder

could significantly disrupt routine life. For instance, depression

could render an individual unable to hop out of bed for work, or stay

restless for days together.

Symptoms

Bipolar disorder is often marked by major mood swings. These could

range from mania (extreme highs) to depression (extreme lows). These

episodes of depression and mania could last for many weeks or months.

Depression:

The depression phase symptoms include:

• Feeling hopeless, sad or irritable almost every time

• Difficulty remembering and concentrating on things

• Lacking energy

• Zero interest in everyday activities

• Feelings of worthlessness or emptiness

• Feelings of despair and guilt

• A pessimistic attitude towards everything

• Self-suspicion

• Having hallucinations and illogical or disturbed thinking

• Appetite loss

• Sleeping difficulties

• Suicidal thoughts

• Frequently getting up in the wee hours of the morning

Mania:

Bipolar disorder's manic phase could be characterized by:

• Feeling elated, overjoyed or very happy

• Talking rapidly

• Feeling energy-filled

• Recognizing self-importance

• Feeling replete with fresh plans and developing important plans

• Getting easily distracted

• Getting easily agitated or irritated

• Unable to eat

• Lack of sleep

• Indulging in activities that may lead to dangerous consequences -

for instance, spending excessively on expensive and at times

unaffordable goods

• Uttering words or doing things out of character, which others may

perceive as harmful or risky

Mania and Depression Patterns:

If you're suffering from bipolar disorder, you could have more periods

of depression than mania, or vice-versa. Between the mania and

depression episodes, you could at times have moments of "normal" mood

too.

This pattern isn't standard and varies across individuals:

• Rapid cycling - developing several mood swing periods in a year,

with partial or full symptom remission in between hypomanic, manic or

major depressive periods.

• Mixed state - wherein an individual with the disorder undergoes

mania and depression symptoms at the same time; for instance, overactivity

with a saddened mood.

If the mood swings are long enough but not too severe to be classified

as bipolar disorder, a cyclothymia diagnosis is possible.

Other Symptoms:

• Anxious distress: developing anxiety, like feeling restless or

tense, keyed up, having issues concentrating due to worries, feeling

paranoid, or fearing a possible lack of self-control.

• Mixed features: meeting a hypomanic or manic episode criteria, but

also suffering from all or some major depressive symptoms.

• Melancholic features: losing pleasure in most or all activities and

no feelings of happiness even during joyful or happy moments.

• Atypical features: going through symptoms not synonymous of major

depressive periods.

• Catatonia: zero reaction or response to the environment, unusual

body positions, not communicating, and/or mimicking another

individual's movement or speech.

• Peripartum onset: symptoms of bipolar disorder that happen during

pregnancy or within a month immediately post-delivery.

• Seasonal pattern: a lifelong pattern of hypomanic, manic or major

depressive periods that alter according to seasons.

• Psychosis: severe period of either depression or mania that leads to

a detachment from real life.

Causes

Bipolar disorder's exact cause is unclear. But there could be quite a

few factors contributing to the condition. Let's take a look at all of

them:

Brain Balance and Chemistry:

People suffering from biological disorder tend to have their brain's

physical structure altered. The importance of these alterations is not

certain yet but could pinpoint to specific causes in the future.

An imbalance in neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) probably plays a

major role in several mood disorders such as bipolar disorder.

According to evidence, bipolar disorder could be remedied with

specific psychiatric medications that are known for acting on the

neurotransmitters in the brain. This indicates bipolar disorder could

be connected to issues with neurotransmitters' function, and there is

some degree of research supporting this.

For instance, there is evidence that mania episodes could happen when

noradrenaline levels are excessively high, and depression episodes

could be causing the noradrenaline levels to go too low.

Inherited Characteristics:

Generally, bipolar disorder is likely in individuals who have a close

family member, like a parent or sibling, suffering from the condition.

However, research is currently in progress to determine the genes

responsible for the bipolar disorder.

There is no particular gene that can be blamed for causing the

disorder. Rather, several environmental and genetic factors are

believed to function as triggers.

Role of Drugs:

Drugs, alcohol or medication don't cause bipolar disorder on their

own, but their usage could result in bipolar symptoms and moods. For

instance:

• Some antidepressants could cause hypomania or mania as a negative

effect. If you start experiencing them post administering

antidepressants, your doctor may not be able to perform an accurate

bipolar disorder diagnosis. However, in case of these pills, it's

worth waiting and finding out if the symptoms disappear sans any

treatment.

• Street drugs or alcohol could lead to indications similar to

depression and mania. Often, it could be tough to differentiate the

effects of drugs and alcohol from the mental health signs.

Childhood Trauma:

According to some experts, a bipolar disorder condition is possible if

the person has had an emotionally distressful growth period. The

distress could be parental neglect, physical or sexual abuse,

traumatic incidents, loss of a family member such as a parent.

All these negative emotions play a part in bipolar disorder

development because all the distress and trauma during childhood may

hinder the ability to regulate emotions later on in life.

Stressful Events in Adulthood:

Bipolar disorder symptoms could also be linked to stressful phases

during adulthood, such as:

• Poverty and financial issues

• A personal relationship breakdown

• A traumatic personal loss

tThough lower stress levels are not likely to lead to bipolar disorder,

they could instigate a period of depression or mania. Also, bipolar

disorder could be triggered by:

• Sleep disturbances

• Physical illness

• Overwhelming issues in routine life - for instance, issues at the

workplace

Self-Esteem Problems:

As per some researchers, people who are depressed or have low selfesteem

issues tend to see a manic episode as an exit point or escape

from the self-misery. In fact, the mania may end up boosting one's

self-confidence during periods of emotional lows.

Types

There are multiple bipolar disorder types. Each variety has its own

frequency, length and pattern of depression and mania-filled episodes.

• Bipolar I Disorder

Also called manic depression or manic depressive disorder, bipolar I

disorder generally entails a couple of mixed or manic episodes

(wherein one experiences signs of both depression and mania).

Generally, an individual suffering from bipolar I disorder would

undergo depression periods too. Often, there's a cycling pattern

between depression and mania. And this is why bipolar I disorder is

also called manic depression. Between episodes of depression and

mania, many individuals suffering from this disorder can lead a normal

life.

• Bipolar II Disorder

Bipolar II diagnosis is confirmed post a couple of major depressive

episodes, along with one hypomania episode, with likely level mood

periods between episodes. The bipolar II highs are referred to as

hypomanias. At times, bipolar II disorder is misdiagnosed as

significant depression if the hypomanic phases go unreported or

unrecognized.

• Not Otherwise Specified (NOS)

Bipolar disorder not following a specific pattern (for instance,

recurring hypomanic episodes sans depressive symptoms, or extremely

rapid swings between a few symptoms of depression and mania) is

referred to as bipolar disorder NOS.

• Cyclothymia

Cyclothymia is a minor bipolar disorder that's characterized by

multiple hypomanic episodes and milder depression episodes that keep

alternating for two years at least. The illness' severity could adjust

with time.