Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that involves extreme mood swings from periods of euphoria and high energy to periods of sadness and low energy. There may also be periods of emotional stability in between these changes.
Although it is not known exactly what causes it, some studies suggest that there is a genetic predisposition.
Symptoms when you are in a period of depression will manifest as loss of self-esteem, discouragement, fatigue, sluggishness, insomnia, concentration problems, loss of appetite, there may be thoughts of death and/or suicide. If you are in a period of hypomania, you will experience a state of euphoria or irritability, high self-esteem, false beliefs of special abilities, accelerated thinking, little need for hours of sleep, and increased sexual desire. Hypomania is when the symptoms of mania are present but do not affect the individual's behavior.
The diagnosis is made by clinical interview and evaluation by specialists after other causes have been ruled out.
It has a mixed treatment; pharmacological and psychological.
- Trisha Suppes, Victoria E Cosgrove. Bipolar disorder in adults: Clinical features. UpToDate. Jan 04, 2016.
- Trisha Suppes, Victoria E Cosgrove. Bipolar disorder in adults: Assessment and diagnosis. UpToDate. Jun 20, 2016.
- Robert M Post. Bipolar disorder in adults: Choosing maintenance treatment. UpToDate. Aug 29, 2016.
- Jeffrey Stovall. Bipolar disorder in adults: Epidemiology and pathogenesis. UpToDate. Mar 14, 2016.
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), American Psychiatric Association, Arlington, VA 2013.
- Victor I. Reus. Trastornos mentales. Harrison. Principios de Medicina Interna. Volumen 2. 19º Edición. 2717:2719.
