Bipolar disorder is a mental illness characterized by a change in the opposite phases (depression and mania) with a certain frequency. This ailment can cause serious inconvenience to the patient and his surroundings. In our article, you will learn not only about the symptoms of bipolar syndrome, but also about the methods of its diagnosis, as well as effective treatment. This material will be especially useful for those people who have a person in the family suffering from this severe mental illness.
Bipolar affective disorder - what is it?
In simple words, it will be difficult to describe this disease, but we will try to do it. The article contains basic theoretical information on this issue and sets out in a language accessible to everyone. So, bipolar disorder syndrome was originally called manic-depressive psychosis, or circular psychosis. This psychological disease is characterized by a cyclical change of certain phases - depression and mania. That is, a person at a certain time feels a special need to achieve the task at any cost, and sometimes feels a sense of extreme depression and unwillingness to live. As a rule, a phase change is accompanied by certain life changes that the patient cannot control.
According to statistics, about 0.7% of the world's population suffers from manic-depressive psychosis. As you know, women give in to various psychological diseases much more often than men, therefore, bipolar disorder is observed in most cases more often among the fair sex. However, this does not mean at all that men are completely immune from this scourge. Also, do not forget that the syndrome can be expressed to varying degrees in different patients. In one person, the phase of depression is most noticeable, in another - mania. If you do not start treating this disease in time, then the patient can commit suicide or harm others.
As a rule, the duration of each phase is strictly individual and depends on the psychological characteristics of the human body. Between them, there may even be a period of "lull" - the so-called intermission, when the patient is not bothered by either depression or mania. Unfortunately, this is the period that many beginning psychologists confuse with the complete cure of the patient, but the symptoms may return again after a month or even a year. Both phases can have varying degrees of severity, so sometimes it can be very difficult to diagnose type 1 bipolar affective disorder.
What are the causes and risk factors for the disease?
According to the international classification of diseases (ICD-10), bipolar affective disorder is a disease that has a genetic predisposition. Almost 80% of patients have personalities in the family who also suffered from this disease. Therefore, if you suffer from depression and mania, then first of all you need to talk with your loved ones, since it may well turn out that you had people with bipolar affective disorder in your family. The causes of this ailment can also be a severe psychological trauma that the patient had to endure in early childhood, but such cases are quite rare.
It should be understood that if the patient does not start the course of treatment on time, then he can harm not only himself, but also those around him. However, if you do not understand the cause of the disease, then treatment may be simply useless. Here are just the main risk factors that contribute to the development of psychological disorder:
- endocrine changes in the female body (pathological and physiological) - the syndrome can be diagnosed in young girls before the first menstruation, during adolescence, after menopause and also after gaining excess weight in different periods;
- personality type features - some people have an innate tendency to depression or emotional instability, easily give in to panic or constantly complain about their lifestyle, they are characterized by confusion and self-doubt;
- injuries, neoplasms and infections of the brain - unfortunately, the causes of a psychological disorder can quite often lie in the malfunctioning of the brain, which was caused by some kind of injury or even a tumor;
- history of depressive or manic episode - some patients talk about how they happened to encounter a rather unpleasant life situation that changed their worldview and attitude to certain personalities in one direction or another;
- taking psychotropic drugs - sometimes mania or depression can occur while taking some psychotropic drugs that are designed to combat another psychological illness, for example, dissociative personality disorder or classic schizophrenia.
As you can see, there are many reasons that can serve the development of bipolar affective disorder. The medical history in this case can play a huge role, since if a patient turned to a specialist for complaints at a young age with complaints of psychological instability, this can greatly facilitate the correct diagnosis for a therapist.
Forms of the disease
Many people wonder, “How to live with bipolar affective disorder?” The answer to it cannot be given in full unless a specific form of the disease has been established. For example, moderate and mild depression can be quite simply stopped with a course of psychotherapy. Here are the main forms of the disease:
- depressive (severe, moderate or mild severity) with various psychotic symptoms or without them at all;
- manic (mild, moderate or severe) with psychotic symptoms;
- a mixed form of the disease is the most common form in which depression and mania are observed.
It is easiest to diagnose a depressive form, since it is characterized by characteristic external signs: apathy, lack of desire to live, nervousness, and so on. Mania without psychotic symptoms is quite easy to confuse with ordinary determination, but the difference is that the patient is ready to make any sacrifices in order to achieve the desired result and often works to the detriment of his health
Diagnosis of bipolar disorder
Bipolar affective disorder (BAR), like any other psychological illness, is very difficult to diagnose. As a rule, such a diagnosis can only be made by a highly qualified specialist who has been working with mentally ill people for several years. As a rule, diagnosis is carried out against a background of anamnesis.
The therapist carefully studies the patient’s history, as well as those symptoms that bother him. The specialist should pay special attention to the presence of similar symptoms in the patient's relatives, since in most cases the BAD is inherited. Also, the therapist can conduct some tests for bipolar personality disorder, which consist of simple tasks or answers to unusual questions.
Diagnosis of mania and depression can also be carried out using various devices that scan the brain if the disease was caused by some kind of injury or infection. Even in medicine, there is a special assessment system - the Altman scale for assessing the degree of mania. A Beck test allows you to determine the degree of depression of the patient. That is, the psychologist, based on the scores obtained as a result of the patient’s survey, determines how badly the patient is ill.
How does bipolar syndrome occur?
As a rule, BAD begins to form in adolescence, but most often manifests itself in the period from 20 to 30 years. In some cases, various phases can continue to form in the elderly, but this is a rather rare occurrence. Although if there is a hereditary predisposition to this, then this fact should not be ignored in any case. It is also customary to divide BAR according to the following criteria:
- the duration of the cycles is circular, with prolonged remissions or dual phases, in which mania and depression alternate several times during one day;
- frequency of phase change - monophasic (depression or mania), biphasic (change of two or three episodes during the year), polyphase (more than three episodes in one year);
- according to the rapid growth of symptoms - with slow (development can occur over several years) or fast cycles (the patient changes completely in a few months).
The circular course is the most common variant, which is characterized by a change in the phase of mania and depression with short intervals of remission. Sometimes the patient may feel completely healthy, but even a slight psychological trauma can lead him into a deep depression or phase of mania. Although it may be that the course of bipolar affective disorder is not accompanied by phases of rest. In this case, the patient should be given immediate assistance, since his condition may worsen day after day.
Hospital treatment
According to the international classification of diseases (ICD-10), bipolar affective disorder is a psychological disease that is subject to inpatient treatment. That is, patients with severe depression or mania must necessarily go to hospital for a comprehensive examination. In the medical institution, a struggle will be waged for the vital functions of the patient's body using various means and drugs. For example, patients with BAD are often given drugs that normalize the digestive system, as sick people can simply forget to eat properly and regularly.
If the cause of the disorder lies in a hormonal disorder (most often characteristic of women), then a set of hormonal agents is prescribed without fail that maintain the balance of hormones within the body. Affective symptoms can be stopped with antidepressants, however, such drugs should be prescribed with extreme caution in order to prevent overdose in case of an error. Also, the patient can drink all the pills at once during the transition from the manic phase to the depressive one or vice versa.
If the patient raves or sees various hallucinations, then they can be prescribed antipsychotics in combination with anticholinergics, which prevent the development of side effects and various complications. In an extreme case, tranquilizers and various sedatives are used to calm especially violent patients. Doses of drugs are prescribed in a strictly individual order to prevent the development of complications and the appearance of side effects.
Psychotherapy
According to psychiatry, bipolar affective disorder can be cured with the help of competent psychotherapy. If a person is in a state of depressive or manic psychosis, it means that he first of all needs a conversation with a person who would understand his problems. Psychotherapy is one of the most important components for the treatment of any mental illness. As a rule, sessions are carried out with a certain frequency (1 or 2 times a week) or when the patient feels very ill.
The main goal of psychotherapy is an awareness of the characteristics of a mental illness, as well as factors that affect the periodic phase change. Also, during the sessions, the patient learns how to deal with various stressful situations, as well as how to avoid situations that lead to unpleasant symptoms. If a person learns to control his behavior, then a state of remission will be achieved over time, when it will be possible to start teaching the patient how to communicate with others without conflict.
In modern medicine, there are three well-known methods of psychotherapy: family, interpersonal and behavioral. Each of them can be used by the attending physician if he considers it necessary. For example, sessions can be based on the patient’s behavior in stressful situations or on interactions with the patient’s relatives. It is worth noting that a violation of the usual regime of psychotherapy can provoke an outbreak of BAR, so the psychotherapist must provide timely assistance to his patient.
What should the patient's relatives know?
The phases of bipolar affective disorder can manifest themselves in different ways, so the first to pay attention to the fact that something is wrong with the person should be his relatives. It is close people who are able to provide the patient with the support that he needs in difficult times. Thus, you can alleviate the condition of not only a family member, but also your own. Below is a short list of recommendations that should be followed by relatives of patients.
- Support your relative and listen to him in difficult times.
- Keep track of medications and attending psychotherapy sessions.
- Immediately inform your doctor that the patient has become worse.
- Provide your loved one with a quality and healthy sleep.
- Monitor the patient's diet in case of problems with being overweight.
- Give your relative more outdoor activities.
- Create at home the most relaxed atmosphere without quarrels and scandals.
- Take family psychotherapy with the patient.
Of course, there are various tests for bipolar personality disorder, but none of them can replace the words spoken by the patient’s close relative. If he felt that some changes had occurred in a person, it means that he should immediately seek help from a specialist, since self-medication can only lead to a worsening of the patient's condition.
Symptoms
Signs of bipolar affective disorder are most often associated with symptoms of depression, since only an experienced specialist can diagnose such a disease at the stage of mania. Therefore, we will consider how to correctly recognize a mental illness against a background of a depressive state. And what is most often associated with depression? That's right, suicidal tendency and complete indifference to what happens in life.
If the patient is trying to talk with relatives about his problems, then he will most often use the general speed: "I can no longer live like this" or "I'm tired of this meaningless existence." It is worthwhile to understand that in both cases, a person subconsciously seeks support from loved ones, so relatives are required not only to listen to their family member, but also try to solve the problem that bothers him. If the patient cools down a little, then you must try to persuade him to help you. His role in resolving a difficult life situation will be quite simple - you only need to accept the help of a qualified specialist by visiting several sessions of psychotherapy.
It is also worth paying special attention to a member of your family in the event that he suddenly becomes withdrawn and stops communicating with his friends. As a rule, many people simply dismiss the patient, thinking that he is playing in public, although in fact he is simply looking for support from his beloved people. If you fail to show it in time, then he may completely stop coming in contact with you or even commit suicide. Of course, it can be extremely difficult to help a person who is withdrawn in himself, but you should not give up because of this. Try to regain the trust of your loved one, and then persuade him to have several family psychotherapy sessions together.
There is also a third option (the most dangerous), when a patient with bipolar syndrome simply does not show any signs that he is worried about depression. It can be extremely difficult to notice any changes in such cases, but for a loved one it is quite possible. , , – . , . , , . : " ?" - : " - " " " . . .
Video and conclusion
, , . , , , , , , . , , , .
, – , . , . , . , , , .