{"id":3367,"date":"2018-11-23T13:57:30","date_gmt":"2018-11-23T11:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ekaranikas.gr\/dipoliki-diatarachi\/"},"modified":"2023-10-30T13:11:58","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T11:11:58","slug":"bipolar-disorter","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ekaranikas.gr\/en\/bipolar-disorter\/","title":{"rendered":"Bipolar Disorder"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”7\/12″][vc_column_text]Bipolar or manic-depressive disorder <\/strong>is a mood disorder that causes intense emotional changes and mood swings from manic “high” to “low” depressive. The majority of bipolar patients experience alternating episodes of mania and depression. In the U.S., more than two million people have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This is the sixth in a series of cause of disability worldwide. The average age of onset is from puberty until the middle of the third decade. But because of the complexity of the disorder the correct diagnosis can be delayed for many years.<\/p>\n

Bipolar disorder type 1<\/strong> is characterised by the presence of manic episodes in human life. A person with manic episode often has feelings of overestimation of oneself and euphoria, becomes intensely talkative, characterized by a strong social disinhibition and extroversion with simultaneously inadequate monitoring of impulsions, parallel jobs with multiple activities simultaneously with irritability, impatience, decreased need for sleep. In severe cases, the person can have hallucinations and delusional psychotic thoughts that most commonly confer a sense of grandeur. Usually, the manic phase is followed by a period of depression. Mixed situations where manic and depressive symptoms occur simultaneously, are met relatively frequently in bipolar patients.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_column_text]Bipolar disorder type 2 <\/strong>is characterized by major depressive episodes alternating with episodes of hypomania, a milder form of mania.<\/p>\n

Bipolar depression<\/strong> may be difficult to distinguish from a plain (unipolar) depressive episode. Patients with bipolar depression typically show extremely decreased energy, feelings of hopelessness, slowed emotional and physical activity and very intense feeling of fatigue, usually more than that happening when plainly depressed.<\/p>\n

Cyclothymia<\/strong> refers to swap of hypomanic episodes with depression but not enough to get the dimensions of a major depressive disorder. One-third of patients with cyclothymia will develop bipolar disorder type 1 or type 2 later in life.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” bg_color=”#f5f5f5″][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_accordion style=”style_2″][vc_accordion_tab title=”Aetiology”][vc_column_text]The cause of bipolar disorder has not been entirely elucidated. Because two-thirds of bipolar patients have a family history of affective disorders, researchers have been searching for possible genetic correlation with the predisposition for bipolar disorder. Hypotheses have been formulated for unfinished construction of myelin (a substance that surrounds the axons of nerve cells with the purpose of protection and insulation), the presence of large quantities of calcium in nerve brain cells, dopamine and other chemicals-neurotransmitters through which nerve cells communicate. Drug abuse, other organic pathologies such as thyroid disease, medication for other diseases such as cortisone, may cause manic episodes.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_accordion_tab][vc_accordion_tab title=”Therapy”][vc_column_text]The treatment of bipolar disorder most commonly is achieved with medication. Mood stabilisers combined with antidepressants <\/u><\/a>, and antipsychotics <\/u><\/a>\u00a0are used to control manic and depressive episodes.<\/p>\n

Mood stabilizers used in the “highs” and “lows” of bipolar disorder are lithium, carbamazepine, valproate and lamotrigine.<\/p>\n