Bipolar disorder is among the most prevalent mental health conditions. It forms a bridge between mood and psychotic disorder, given its mixed symptoms. Recently, more and more people are getting diagnosed with bipolar disorder; thus, it’s wise to know everything about the disorder.
According to statistics, bipolar disorder affects almost 5.7 million adults in the US every year. It is also said that the disorder is more common among males than females and the symptoms mostly come after 18 years of age. Now let’s have a look at its symptoms and treatment options:
Table of Contents
Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder
As mentioned earlier, bipolar has mixed symptoms, some psychotic while some mood symptoms. The following are a few common symptoms of bipolar disorder:
- Agitation and abnormally upbeat behavior
- Decreased need for sleep and talkativeness
- Withdrawal from friends and family
- Poor hygiene and fatigue
- Recurring body aches and muscle tension
- Impulsiveness and excessive risk-taking
- Suicidal thoughts or visions of death
Treatment Options for Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder manifests in three different episodes, manic, hypomanic, and the major depressive episode. The treatment of the disorder highly depends on the episode one is experiencing. The following are a few common ways to treat the issue:
Lifestyle Rehabilitation
First and foremost, lifestyle rehabilitation is mandatory for the treatment of mental health conditions. Whether it’s bipolar disorder or an anxiety disorder, having a healthy lifestyle always helps. It includes two things: medicinal herbs and increased physical activity.
Several medicinal herbs are loaded with healing properties. They work well for the treatment of the major depressive episode of bipolar disorder. For example, many people use Canadian mushrooms to get rid of irritability, relieve stress, and ease muscle tension. You can try it, too. Simply store magic mushrooms and have one whenever you feel restless.
The other thing is exercise. Make sure to have an active lifestyle. For that, you can either join a gym or simply make a habit of starting your day with a morning walk and ending it with a few body stretches. It will help keep your stress levels low.
Allopathic Medicines
Apart from the major depressive episode, there are two other episodes of bipolar disorder, mania, and hypomania. Mania is an entirely psychotic episode while hypomania has symptoms of both mania and the major depressive episode. You can learn more about the symptoms of psychotic breakdown here.
Sadly, you cannot treat psychotic symptoms at home with the help of natural remedies. When it comes to mania or psychotic symptoms in general, having antipsychotics and mood stabilizers is crucial. Antipsychotics work by altering the chemicals in your brain.
For bipolar disorder, first and second-generation antipsychotics both are prescribed. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, the allopathic course may continue for six months or more. If the medications fail to work, electroconvulsive shock treatment is recommended as the last resort.
Psychotherapy
Last but not least, psychotherapy is recommended when the affected person starts recovering from psychotic symptoms or is at least halfway through his medical course. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, commonly referred to as CBT, is often prescribed.
It’s a form of talk therapy that involves pinpointing and questioning all your negative thoughts and emotions. It is performed by a psychotherapist and that too, in a controlled environment. However, the results vary from person to person and none is definite.
Apart from that, you can also join a support group. In support groups, you get to meet people with similar struggles and issues. It is one thing that helps you stay positive throughout as you get to know that you’re not the only one who’s suffering and how people defeated bipolar disorder.
That’s all, folks! Please consult a mental health expert in case you ever notice any of its symptoms. I wish you well.