Bipolar Disorder: An Overview
Bipolar disorder is a mental condition that often leads to psychological disorders hampering daily activities of the affected person. The extremity of mood leading to a manic depression is one of the major signs of this condition.The person having bipolar disorder may become a person and even develops suicidal tendency.
People having this condition which is also considered as a lifelong illness often tend to swing their mood. They feel depressed when mood swings very low. They become maniac when mood swings very high.
What causes Bipolar Disorder?
The exact cause of bipolar disorder still remains unknown even as many experts believe that this condition is associated with multiple factors. According to some of the experts, bipolar disorder may be an outcome of imbalance in chemicals like neurotransmitters within the brain. Neurotransmitters are responsible for normal brain functions. But any imbalance in the level of one such chemical such as norepinephrine may result in bipolar disorder.
The high level of this chemical may lead to mania whereas the drop in its level below normal makes person feel depressed. The imbalanced Serotonin and Dopamine, which are the other neurotransmitters, may also precipitate this condition.
According to a study genetic component can also be the cause for bipolar disease. If a person has bipolar disease, his/her family members may also likely to be affected by this condition. People undergoing emotional stress, suffering from illness or using drug are also likely to be affected by this condition.
Signs and Symptoms
Following are the symptoms, which appear most commonly in person with bipolar depression:
Despair or sad feeling
Irritation
Inability to derive pleasure
Fatigue
Physical and mental lethargy
Change in appetite or weight
Sleeping disturbances
Problems relating to concentration and memory
Thoughts of committing suicide
Guilty feeling
Self-care for bipolar disorder
You can successfully manage bipolar disorder by making appropriate choices and adopting a healthy lifestyle besides developing good daily habits. Here are some self-care tips on how to help yourself:
Proper education: Gain as much knowledge about bipolar disease as you can so as to find ways for own recovery.
Avoid stressful situation: You must maintain balance in your daily activities and create stress-free and peaceful environment for yourself. Perform meditation or yoga or adopt other relaxation techniques to maintain peace of mind.
Seek help: Join the company of your close and trusted friends so that you can fall back on them for encouragement and other support at times of crisis.
Develop good and healthy habits: You may have a stable mood if you develop healthy habits for sleeping and eating besides maintaining regular exercise. Regular and timely sleep is the key to control your mood.
Monitor your moods: Keep track of your symptoms and watch for signs that your moods are swinging out of control so you can stop the problem before it starts.
