The most alarming part of bipolar disorder is that it is usually diagnosed very late in the day. It is very difficult for a person suffering from this disorder to realize their own mood fluctuations. Moreover, people close to such a person, like family or friends, cannot pinpoint the problem simmering underneath the surface. As a result, the feelings of extreme anger or periods of supreme joy that are tell-tale signs of a bipolar person is generally ignored as aberrations of normal behaviour.
Never think that bipolar disorder is something rare or uncommon. You will be surprised to know that over 5 million people in the United States of America suffer from some or the other form of bipolar disorder! According to the psychiatrists, there are several reasons why this mental illness creeps up on people. The most common ones include lifestyle choices, professional stress and worries, personal failures and even feelings of impending doom, like death from a debilitating disease.
Bipolar persons are quite unstable in their mental zone. They oscillate between periods of manic high to severe bouts of major depression. What complicates the problem further is that for some, these extreme mood fluctuations come in a mixed bag. So, on a particular moment, the person may be very happy and in the next, plunge into the depths of crippling low. Such a person can be a social menace, finding it difficult to communicate or maintain relationships at home or at the workplace.
According to the psychiatrists in Kolkata, There are two types of bipolar disorders. One is the bipolar I. This is rarer in people and is popularly known as manic depression. In such a situation, a person may behave in extreme binaries, between the farthest points of happy and sad. At times, the behaviour may swing completely out of control, demanding immediate medical attention. The other type is bipolar II. This is more common and is known as hypomanic symptoms. This is more subtle and usually more obvious to people around than the person concerned. Psychological counselling at the right time can stem the deterioration of the person.
There are several methods of treating bipolar disorder. There are medications like mood stabilizers and anti-depressant or anti-psychotic drugs. These are prescribed by psychiatrists on the condition of the bipolar person. However, you have to bear in mind that bipolar persons usually tend to discontinue medication or fall under the fallacy that they are doing well and don’t require medicines anymore. Such actions will only make matters worse. Continued medication is the only way to a better life as a bipolar person.