What is Bipolar Disorder?
A mood disorder. How does that sound? Yeah, well. If you think about it, we are all bipolar. We all experience moods and emotions that change from high to low and back. So we are all happily swinging about. Or not – and there is the crux. When the mood swings become uncontrollable we speak of a mood disorder.
How do you catch, eh get it?
In essence, BD is a chemical imbalance in the brain. It’s got to do with neurotransmitters, those little things that transport impulses between nerve cells. As it runs in families, researchers believe there is a genetic component to BD as well. BUT, the real cause of BD has not yet been found.
What’s in a name?
The old name for BD is manic-depression. This probably rings a bell with many people. In 1980 when the third version of the Big Book of descriptions of psychiatric illnesses was written (DSM-III to be exact), the name officially changed to BD. There were several reasons: the word manic-depression carried a huge stigma; it was hoped that the word BD would give more clarity; it was recognized that there is a much wider variety of BD. Personally, I like BD more.
Types of Biplor Disorder and complicating factors
BD is described as a spectrum, because of the various types and complicating factors involved. There is BD I, II and cyclothemia; and complications such as mixed states, rapid cycling and bipolar psychosis . Okay, if I have lost you, please keep reading and it will get totally clear, I promise!
BD I involves generally speaking deep depression and mania which can include hallucinations and delusions. One instance of mania is enough to qualify for this diagnosis.
BD II is a somewhat milder form in that the person does not reach full-blown mania, which is therefore called hypomania. Deep depressions are part and parcel of it. Hypomania is hard to spot. People can go without a diagnosis for many years or get misdiagnosed with, for example, Major Depressive Disorder.
Cyclothemia is a mild form of BD with milder symptoms, but still enough to be able to disrupt your life. Not easy to diagnose either!
A mixed state is when a person experiences either both (hypo)mania and depression at the same time or have them follow one another rapidly. As in minutes or hours, rather than days.
Rapid cycling means that a person has more than 4 episodes of depression, (hypo)mania or mixed state a year.
Bipolar Psychosis is a break with reality and a loss of reasoning, which can occur both during (severe) depression or mania.