Bipolar mood disorder

Bipolar mood disorder also called as Manic Depressive Psychosis. People with bipolar mood disorder experience extreme mood swings - from depression and sadness to elation and excitement. It is an episodic illness in which the mood swings tend to recur, and can vary from mild to severe, and can be of different duration.

Symptoms of Mania (highs)

• Elevated mood: the person feels extremely high, elated, and full of energy. The experience is often described as feeling on top of the world and invincible.
• Recklessness : such as spending large amounts of money buying items that are not really needed.
• Grandiose plans and beliefs : it is common for people experiencing mania to believe they are unusually talented or gifted, or are kings, film stars or prime ministers for example. Often religious beliefs intensify or people believe they are an important religious figure.
• Increased energy and over-activity.
• Reduced need for sleep.
• Irritability the person may get angry and irritable with people
• Rapid thinking and speech thoughts are more rapid than usual. This can lead to the person speaking quickly and jumping from topic to topic.
• Lack of insight people experiencing mania may not recognise that their behaviour is inappropriate, although they may understand that other people see their ideas and actions as inappropriate, reckless, or irrational.

Treatment

• Hospitalization : If symptoms are more and behavior is severely impaired.

Medications :

• Mood stabilizers ( Valporate , Lithium, and Carbamazepine are mainstay and used for long term treatment )
• Antipsychotics
• Modified electro convulsive therapy in severe cases for rapid treatment of symptoms.