Bipolar disorder is one of the most dreaded diseases of modern times. It is characterized by extreme mood swings. Bipolar manic depression patient interchange between episodes of excessive depression and mania. As a result, this disease is also known as manic-depressive disorder. Bipolar disorder affects adults, teenagers and even children. Before, not much was known about the causes of bipolar and bipolar treatments. Only recently we have been able to find out a lot of new information about this disease due to the amount of researches on the subject matter. These days, scientists have been researching new bipolar treatments that can help patients’ ease the effects of bipolar disease so they can live a normal life.

Bipolar manic depression affects millions of people the world over. This type of mental illness is chronic in nature and tends to affect the daily lives of those afflicted with it. Personal and social relationships have suffered by bipolar manic depression and episodes of depression have caused many patients to commit suicide.

Causes of Bipolar Depression

Genetics

Ongoing researches on Bipolar have identified a number of triggers for this disease. However, bipolar manic depression disorder does not have a set list of causes. The triggers for one person may not be the same for the other person. According to recent studies, genetic factors play a major role in increasing the susceptibility of a person to such mood disorders. First-degree relatives like siblings, parents, and children of a bipolar disorder patient are more prone to developing the disease than distant cousins. In other words, genetic factors are just one of the well known causes of bipolar disorders.

Stress

A stressful life or environment may also lead to the onset of bipolar disorder. Life events that increase stress or affect the emotional health of a person like death, a move to another place and even loss of a job can also trigger off the problem.

Bipolar Treatments

Bipolar treatments can vary from the conventional medicines to a number of alternative treatments like yoga, hypnosis, homeopathy and herbal medicines.

Conventional Medicines

Conventionally, medicines like valproic acid or Depakote, carbamazepine or Tegretol and lithium are used to treat bipolar manic-depressive disorder. However, these bipolar treatments are not without a number of side effects like neutrophilia, hypothyroidism and tremors. Other side effects include hyponatermia, rashes, tremors and liver problems.

Due to the above-mentioned side effects associated with conventional medicines, more and more patients are trying out other alternative bipolar treatments. Cognitive behavior therapy helps patients to understand the true impact of positive thinking. Yoga also helps in releasing endorphins in the body that makes the patient feel good. Homeopathic and herbal medicines are also said to be effective bipolar treatments, as they have no side effects.

Conclusion

It is a well-known fact that dealing with bipolar disorder is not an easy nut to crack. Nobody really knows what causes bipolar, however, you need to keep trying new bipolar treatments and stick to the one that works best for you. Besides these treatments, you need to ensure a healthy lifestyle and diet that can help you take control of this disease.

Unipolar Disorder

This depressive mood disorders can be divided into bipolar and unipolar. Bipolar is usually marked by bipolar manic symptoms or the presence of both mania and depression episodes. Whereas, unipolar is characterized by depression only and its symptoms may include:

 Very dull, no energy, lazy and apathetic.

 Difficulty in sleeping, waking early and tired even after a long nights sleep.

 Always on their nerves.

 Feelings of utter despair, useless or hopeless of everything.

 Strong feelings of irritability and being always tired.

These disturbance is not caused by a direct physiological effects of illicit drugs abuse or of medication or a medical condition.

Bipolar Manic Depression

Bipolar depression is characterized by a disturbance in mood with varying degrees of:

 Long sadness and unexplained crying moments.

 Appetite and sleeping patterns significantly changes.

 Angry, worried, agitated, anxious and irritable.

 Indifference and pessimistic.

 No energy and always lethargic .

 Feelings of worthlessness and guilt.

 Unable to concentrate and indecisive.

 Unable to have pleasure in former hobbies.

 Being with other people becomes a headache.

 Physical pain and body pains hard to explain.

 Always thinking of death and suicide

These bipolar depressive feelings can be quite severe and may stay with the person for a long time. Daily chores can become very difficult, but mostly of the time patients may still be able to cope. For many bipolar individuals negative feelings of hopelessness can become very strong.

Bipolar Manic

The two characters of the disorder has given it the name bipolar disorder. This bipolar manic phase is marked by an abnormal severe irritable mood and lots of energy. Some other symptoms are grandiosity, unable to sleep, extravagance spending, and irrational judgment. Some patients may suffer long periods of bipolar, but bipolar manic-depressive illness is the highest suicide rate of any mental health disorder accounted for.

Bipolar Treatment – Anti-Psychotic Medication

The Two main bipolar mania symptoms are psychotic thoughts and behaviors, which comes with emotional responses, judgment errors and hard to communicate. To hold in check these thoughts and behaviors before it becomes uncontrollable, most doctors would prescribe bipolar treatment such as mood stabilizing medicines like Clorazil, Risperdal and Zyprexa. Some of these anti-psychotic medications help to control the opposite side of the bipolar depression.

Therapy – Family

Effective for bipolar patients – family focused therapy can help bipolar manic patients. Bipolar manic victims can cause a lot of problems in relationships among family members. With this type of therapy, all members of the family can give something to help control the patient’s behaviors by helping cutting down stimulus and boundaries. The main aim of this therapy is to help everyone notice the signs and learn how to better handle the symptom when it arrives.

The Use of ECT – Electroshock

Electroshock (ECT) was first introduced in the 30s, but due the bad publicity of ECT therapy, and the negative portrayals in movie, electroshock therapy frightened so many people after that and has come to be used as a last resort for bipolar treatment. Today, however, ECT has been refined and is becoming very popular.

Treating patients with ECT treatment is quite useful when:

1. Bipolar medication is not working.

2. There is an urgent needed to intervene, e.g. suicide risk or severe cases of psychosis.

3. The use of bipolar medication may be too risky, e.g. women who are pregnant.

With the use of modern ECT techniques, the risk of memory problems has been reduced significantly. The only drawback with this type of treatment is, it is quite expensive and often requires more treatments.

Anti Convulsant Drugs

• Valproate (Depakote): is and anti-convulsant medicine and used as a mood-stabilizer.

• Depakote: first approved in 1995 by the Food and Drug Aadministration (FDA) for treatment of mania. Doctors use this medicine on stubborn mania symptoms.

• Seroquel: brand name for Quetiapine was approved by the FDA to treat both bipolar mania and bipolar depression. The only problem with this medication is the side effects, which many people find difficult to tolerate.

• Prozac and Lexapro: increasingly unpopular because it is both dangerous, ineffective and can trigger bipolar mania symptoms.

Using diet – as  Bipolar Treatment

With the problem of fast foods and what have you in our food; diet and nutrition has been increasingly recognized as an effective way of treating bipolar depressive symptoms. You can discover for yourself the power of using diet for stabilizing moods and weights. Some proven natural supplements in managing bipolar depression symptoms are:

1. Fish oil: A study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that – Omega-3 fatty acid which is found in fish oil, is good for treating bipolar depression.

2. Folic acid: For building white blood cells – These acids can be found in leafy vegetables, certain fruits, liver, liver products, baker's yeast and some breakfast cereals.

3. Inositol: member of the vitamin B complex and high concentration of inositol can be found in grains, beans, nuts and fruits.

Transcranial (TMS) magnetic stimulation.

Magnetic stimulation (TMS) is when strong magnetic pulses are induced with weak electric currents on specific parts of the human brain tissue. Not like the ECT method, patients always remain awake and alert because there is no use of anesthetic. The benefits of this type of treatment is, the magnetic pulses are not strong enough to cause seizures, and secondly memories are not lost.

Bipolar treatments for bipolar

When on a bipolar treatment always consult your doctor for anything, from changing your bipolar medication to even changing your doctor. There are lots of bipolar treatment available but what may work for some may not work for others. The word we always emphasize is be PATIENT and be HONEST with your medication.

This depressive disorder has been known to be with us since man started recording history. We read in the Old Testament, Job as well as the famous King David, suffered from this terrible illness. Hippocrates the Greek physician called depression, a black bile (melancholia). A clinical depression is a serious medical disorder that is negative in nature which affects how we feel, think and act. It has been written in literature arts for many, many years, but what does it mean when we refer to this mental illness – depressive disorder or a bipolar depression disorder? In the last century, depression was portrayed as a weakness of temperament which was inherited. Only in the beginning of the 20th century did Freud link the progress of depression to guilt with conflict.

The Two Divisions of Depression

During the middle of this century depression was divided into two:

• Endogenous: depression is a problem coming from within the body and probably linked to a genetic origin. It may also be caused by the body itself but nobody knows its source. Bipolar depression falls under this category.

• Neurotic or reactive: depression is caused from outside, like the death of a loved one, losing somebody special and the loss of the only source of income. In 70s and the 80s, the focus changed from “the cause”, to the “effects” of depression on victims.

In Agreement

We may never know what causes depression or bipolar depression, but most would agree that:

• It is a syndrome that reflects severe sad, irritable mood which can be classed as abnormal sadness or grief. These feelings of sadness of depression  are both intense and takes a long time when compared to the normal ups and downs.

•The  characteristics are the presence of negative thoughts, moods, and behaviors and not to mention the physical symptoms like, crying spells, aches in the body, very low energy in both work and sex. Other problems may include eating, weight  and sleeping problems.

• Depression increases the risks for coronary artery disease, HIV, asthma, and some other medical diseases. It can also increase the mortality rate  of victims with this depressive conditions.

• The huge financial and human costs of depression in the United States alone are huge and this includes -  treatment costs, other indirect costs, like lost in productivity and absenteeism of workers.

Bipolar Depression

The unique trait of this illness is, it's not the outside that is causing the depression, but the brain producing its lows with the feelings of worry, sad, angry, guilt, isolation and hopelessness. This disorder is caused by the brain’s neurotransmitters which can cause sleeping and eating problems and a shift in moods.

Problems with Not Treating

Like most serious diseases, bipolar depression can create problems with those living together, members of the family, close friends, and your boss at work. With family members of those with bipolar depression it can drain out the energy level of family members.

Bipolar Treatment Depression

Bipolar depression can be inherited within families and if you find that a member of your family or a friend are showing symptoms of bipolar depression like sleeping too much, sad, feelings of helpless, worthless, hopeless with decreased energy and concentration, please seek medical advice near you so they can be given bipolar treatment early.

The word depression is the hindering of a person’s moods, marked by the different levels of their feelings of loneliness, sadness, disappointment, hopelessness, guilt and self-doubt. These depressive feelings can be quite severe and may continue for a long time. Daily functions may be hard, but most patients are able to cope with their depression. For those experiencing severe depression – hopelessness can become so intense that ending one’s life can occupy the person’s thoughts. These mood disorders or affective disorders occur in two flavors, namely “unipolar” and bipolar depression.

Unipolar Depression

Bipolar depression must be differentiated from unipolar depression. The most permanent feeling is the sense of anxiety, despair, being hopeless and useless in about everything. The mental disorder is not caused by the abuse of illicit drugs or medication. This unipolar depression only manifests depression and its symptoms are:

· Extreme lack of energy

· Disturbance in sleeping patterns

· Waking up early

· Difficulty in going to sleep

· Waking up tired even after long hours of sleep.

Severe Bipolar Depression

Bipolar is a serious disorder in the brain chemistry, causing severe mood, energy and functioning which shifts to high, low and back again. In very severe cases of bipolar depression, pain can be so great that patients are even scared they may not get out alive because the thoughts of suicide are constantly on their mind. For these people when in these mood stages, there is never a good day, remember the good times and sometimes in their pain they are praying to die. While depressed victims want to die most would not have a good reason to end their life.

Feelings of Hopelessness

While the feeling of hopelessness is part of depression, in severe cases, patients sometimes just don’t see much hope in their depression getting any better. With this lack of hope is the fear of not being able to come out of bipolar depression, which can lead ultimately to the idea that life is not worth living and ultimately end it all.

Bipolar Treatment

While many can lay claim to the effectiveness of bipolar treatment drugs, there are others who can also say that the use of bipolar medication not only gives side effects it makes bipolar depression worse. With no effect of medication and very low energy level, severe cases of bipolar depression can only remember or are preoccupied with their emotional pain.

Ray of Hope

While the future may look bleak for most of these severe cases of bipolar depressed victims, there is a ray of hope and it is their family. A family that is loving and supportive can do wonders to these patients. Bipolar treatments can only do so much, but where it fails it is the immediate families that can help the person continue on with life despite the odds.