Everyone has ups and downs, our “off” days and our “on” days, but if you’re suffering from bipolar disorder, these peaks and valleys are more severe. The symptoms of bipolar disorder can hurt your job and school performance, damage your relationships, and disrupt your daily life. And although bipolar disorder is treatable, many people don’t recognize the warning signs and get the help they need. Since bipolar disorder tends to worsen without treatment, it’s important to learn what the symptoms look like. Recognizing the problem is the first step to getting it under control.
Bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression) causes serious shifts in mood, energy, thinking, and behavior–from the highs of mania, to the lows of depression. These are not fleeting good or bad moods; the shifts of bipolar disorder can last for days, weeks, or months. The mood swings of bipolar disorder are so intense that they interfere with your ability to function.
Some people alternate between extreme episodes of mania and depression, but most are depressed more often than they are manic. Mania may also be so mild that it goes unrecognized. People with bipolar disorder can also go for long stretches without symptoms.
During a manic episode, a person might impulsively quit a job or end a relationship, charge huge amounts on credit cards, or feel rested after sleeping two hours or not sleep at all for days. They may engage in promiscuous sexual behavior even with strangers, or gamble to the point of gambling away all their money. They may use drugs or alcohol to excess perhaps combining them in dangerous ways. They may become suspicious of other people, and possibly even violent. They may not believe they need treatment or avoid seeking treatment because they like the extra energy and creativity they believe they have during an episode, they enjoy the manic episode high, however, that “high” doesn’t last.
During a depressive episode, the same person who was just on a manic high, might be too tired to get out of bed, sleep all the time or not sleep at all. They may lose their appetite and not eat, or gorge themselves with excessive emotional eating. They could isolate themselves from friends and family, not answer the telephone or lock themselves in their room. They may become preoccupied with suicidal thoughts; ruminating for hours or days thinking about whether or not to kill themselves. Dwelling on self-loathing and hopelessness and thoughts on how to kill themselves. They may impulsively act on those thoughts. Their depression is often worsened by overwhelming thoughts of being unemployed, in debt, and other negative consequences of choices made during their manic phase. The depressive phase of bipolar disorder is often very severe, and suicide is a major risk factor. People suffering from bipolar disorder are more likely to attempt suicide than those suffering from regular depression and their suicide attempts tend to be more lethal.
Bipolar disorder also affects an individual’s energy level, judgment, memory, concentration, appetite, sleep patterns, sex drive, and self-esteem. Additionally, bipolar disorder has been linked to anxiety, substance abuse, and health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, migraines, and high blood pressure.
The first manic or depressive episode of bipolar disorder usually occurs in the teenage years or early adulthood. The symptoms can be subtle and confusing; so many people with bipolar disorder are overlooked or misdiagnosed. Bipolar disorder is a complex condition. Diagnosis can be tricky and treatment is often difficult. For safety reasons, medication should be closely monitored. A psychiatrist who is skilled in bipolar disorder treatment can help you stabilize and get your life back to normal.
Living with untreated bipolar disorder can lead to problems in everything from your career to your relationships to your health. Diagnosing the problem as early as possible and getting into treatment can help prevent these issues. With proper treatment and support, you can lead a fulfilling life.
by World Barrios Contributor: Jeff Gishkin
About the author: Jeff Gishkin holds a Masters Degree in Counseling. He is both a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor in the state of Arizona. He also holds several national certifications in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Rational Recovery, as well as being a Certified Clinical Criminal Justice Specialist by the National Association of Forensic Counselors and is a National Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Hypnotherapy. Jeff Gishkin has been actively assisting people to better their lives for over 30 years.
Flickr photo by versionz
Resources:
Mental Health Resources
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Since this is the top article returned by a Google search for “untreated bipolar”, it’s a shame that it seems to be orphaned.
Failing to treat bipolar can result in the bipolar morphing into a more serious and difficult to treat syndrome when the sufferer forgets that there was anything before the bipolar. My wife has been bipolar for 8-9 years, and refused treatment after the first two weeks. She no longer remembers life before bipolar, and has divided her life into two compartments, one very exciting one (for her) where she only interacts with people who didn’t know her before the bipolar, and one very dreary (for everyone) where she is forced to interact with her family at home. My life basically ended when her bipolar life began – She decided at that time that I am actually the next door neighbor, occupying the body of her former husband. It’s really painful for me when she tells this to people and they assume they must have misheard her, and they smile and nod in agreement.
Mr. Singh,
The symptoms you are decribing for your wife point out the complicated course of Bipolar Illness and the reasons why professional treatment is so necessary. The symptoms your wife is experiencing may be due to a type of Bipolar illness which is called Bipolar Illness with psychosis. The psychosis can be “mood congruent or incongruent”.
Bipolar illness is a cyclical condition that can ebb and increase due to many conditions such as stress, hormonal cycles, age and also has its’ own rhythm. Often a medication that has helped relieve the condition for a long period or has helped in the past suddenly no longer works. Changes in medications and slow titrations down from current medications and up on the new medication are often necessary. This will possibly increase the symptoms for several weeks until the new medication takes full effect.
People with Bipolar illness can benefit from counseling or therapy in addition to medications. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to be quite effective. Your situation may also be helped by marital therapy or even therapy for yourself.
Working together with your wife, her psychiatrist and a therapist can go far in helping your family face what can be a baffling illness.
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