Bipolar disorder is a mental illness characterised by periods of depression and periods of elevated mood. The elevated mood is known as mania or hypomania depending on its severity or whether symptoms of psychosis are present. During mania an individual behaves or feels abnormally energetic, happy or irritable. The person may often make poorly thought out decisions with little idea of the consequences. During a period of depression, the person may be crying, have a negative outlook on life, and poor eye contact with others. The risk of suicide among those with this illness is greater than 6% over 20 years, while self-harm occurs in 30-40%. Other mental health issues such as anxiety disorder and substance use disorder are commonly linked to bipolar disorder as well.
The cause is not clear, but both environmental and genetic factors play a part in why someone could develop bipolar disorder. Environmental factors include a history of childhood abuse and long term stress. It is divided into bipolar I disorder if there is at least one manic episode and bipolar II disorder if there are at least one hypomanic episode and one major depressive episode. In those with less severe symptoms of a prolonged duration the condition cyclothymic disorder may be present. Other conditions that may present in a similar manner include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, personality disorders, schizophrenia and substance use disorder as well as a number of medical conditions.
No comments:
Post a Comment