Bipolar mood disorder is something that affects more women than you would expect. The problem is that it is not understood very well – both by people and by medical professionals. This is a problem that affects the brain and psychological disorders are still being researched and looked into.
What is bipolar mood disorder?
A person with bipolar mood disorder is also known as being a manic-depressive. People who make quick shifts in their mood so on minute they will be depressed and the next they will be active, energetic and in a generally good mood. There will be nothing that helps to change the moods.
The disorder will usually manifest during late teen and early adulthood; half of all cases are found to start by 25.
Of course, there are anomalies and some will experience the symptoms of bipolar mood disorder in childhood and others will not realize that they have the symptoms or that anything is wrong until later in life.
Problems of the disorder
Even when diagnosed, there are many problems in life that the disorder brings. Because of the erratic emotions and feelings, there are many people who will struggle to keep a job or a relationship. Some will even turn to suicide in a depressive stage.
When diagnosed, treatment can be administered to help with the sudden changes but the treatment needs to be taken daily.
When not diagnosed, it can be difficult to determine that it is bipolar. The symptoms often look like something else or seem to be separate ones. It leads to many taking years to be diagnosed.
The symptoms of bipolar mood disorder
Whether they are happy or sad, angry or depressed, a person with bipolar will have intense emotions. As stated, someone with bipolar is also known as a manic-depressive. The manic stages are when someone is overexcited and “bouncing off the walls”. The depressive state will happen for no reason and will lead to the patient struggling to cope with life – they will feel like everything is pointless and hopeless.
The moods will have no pattern to them and there are times when a mixed state is experienced. The moods will last for a period of time, sometimes up to two weeks before switching to the next one. There will be changes in sleeping patterns, activity levels and the energy that a patient has.
Interesting points on bipolar mood disorder
There is a strong connection to the disorder running through families; however, the problematic gene is not understood yet and there is still ongoing research into it. Children that have a parent, or even a sibling, who have been diagnosed with the disorder are up to six times more likely to develop it in their life than someone who has no genetic link to the disorder.
There are many people who will develop other problems in their lives, especially alcohol or drug problems. It is seen as a way to cope with the problem, even though it usually makes everything much worse.
There are many other mental disorders, which doctors will look into when it comes to diagnosing bipolar mood disorder. The problem is that so many will offer similar signs, especially when looking at emotionally unstable disorder, depression and anxiety.
