Bipolar Reviews
Bipolar Disorders
Exploring the Various Bipolar Disorders
Bipolar disorders are not all alike. There are even specialized categories for the bipolar disorders which doctors thing to write up one kind from another. This makes it easier for them to discuss the particular types of problems a patient might be having. A fairly benign and often overlooked member of the family of bipolar disorders is hypomania. It is overlooked for good reason. It is seldom a problem for the person who has it. It may even increase his chances for success by making him farther outgoing, quick thinking, and optimistic. Treatment is rarely sought and little needed.
The most commonplace disorder to be thought of as one of the bipolar disorders is bipolar I. This encompasses all those who suffer from alternating manic and depressed states. Those with bipolar I go from having the highest opinion of themselves to having little perturb for their own well being. They go from periods of fast and outlandish motion to times of desperation and thoughts of death.
Of all the bipolar disorders, bipolar I is perhaps the most difficult to treat. Mood stabilizers such as lithium or anticonvulsants are useful. If depression, or especially mania, turns into psychosis, an antipsychotic medication is called for to bring the patient back to reality.
The difficulty comes in treating simple depression in bipolar I. An antidepressant would seem to be in order but, for the person who may come manic, it may be dangerous. It could start a cycle of fleeting changes from depression to mania and back again in relatively short order. In the bipolar disorders this obstacle is most prevalent in bipolar I.
Dual diagnosis is another of the bipolar disorders. This is the combination of any bipolar disorder with alcohol and / or drug abuse. Most often, the abuse, in this case, of alcohol or drugs comes after the onset of one of the bipolar disorders.
These substances are used by the person with bipolar disorder to alleviate the symptoms of the illness. A stimulant may seem to help a person to overcome depression, and a depressant, such as alcohol may typify thought to lessen the over activity of craving, for example. In reality, the abuse of drugs and / or alcohol only makes the episodes more severe in the end. This is not an answer for those with bipolar disorders.
Less obvious, but also considered one of the bipolar disorders, is MDD, or major depression. People with MDD spend most of the time that they are ill being glum. They may have minor and short manic episodes, but the depression dominates. For these people, life is grim, unsatisfying, and perhaps seems unbearable. Episodes of depression for these people may last for months or sometimes years.
Treatment for these people is oftentimes less complicated. They may respond well to antidepressants, chat therapy, and even to something as simple as enterprise. There is less chance of triggering a manic episode, so treatment is less risky in these bipolar disorders.
Professional are many bipolar disorders. There are also many ways to treat these bipolar disorders. The pleasantry is to match a disorder to the correct treatment and to encourage the patient to result that treatment to the best of his or her ability. Having words to describe the different bipolar disorders makes rightful that much easier for the doctors and others to do their parts.
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