Bi-polar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a mood disorder, characterised by swings in a person's mood from high to low - euphoric to depressed.
In the manic phase (also referred to as hypomania or going high), you may have excessive amounts of energy and feel little need for sleep. Your thinking and speech tend to be faster than usual, and your thoughts can jump rapidly from one subject to another, making conversation difficult. Inflated self-esteem, loss of inhibitions, and grandiose ideas or delusions are typical features. When you are manic you may behave in ways which can have serious consequences when the episode is past, for example leaving your job, spending a lot of money, or giving away your possessions
During a severe depressive episode, you may have feelings of hopelessness and despair, of lethargy, broken sleep, overwhelming negativity and difficulty in carrying on with the activities of day-to-day life. When you are depressed you may want to withdraw from society or even contemplate suicide.
About 1 in 100 people are diagnosed as having bi-polar disorder. The depressive phase usually comes first and about ten per cent of people thought to have pure depression have a manic episode six to ten years later. About 15% of those who have an episode of mania never experience another.
There are great variations in the pattern of mood swings in bi-polar disorder. For example, in some people, the swings in mood can occur every few days. Some people can have long periods without experiencing problems, and many will hold down demanding jobs. However, a significant minority have their lives ruined by the disorder, and may be as disabled as someone with a diagnosis of severe schizophrenia.
Cyclothymia, also called cyclothymic disorder, is a less intense version of bi-polar disorder. The highs and lows of cyclothymia are less extreme than the highs and lows of bi-polar disorder, although they are more troublesome than the usual ups and downs of life.
It is not clear what causes bi-polar disorder, although the following factors may be important
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10 to 15 per cent of the nearest relatives of people with a bipolar disorder have a mood disorder
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Biochemical changes in hormones and neurotransmitters that are found during the manic and depressive phases.
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Deprivation of maternal affection in early life and severely stressful life events
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In the depressive phase symptoms may include:
- mental and physical slowing
- loss of interest and energy
- loss of concentration
- sadness
- pessimism
- self-doubt
- self-blame
- early morning waking
- thoughts of suicide
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