Bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic-depressive illness) is a mental disorder characterized by two separate illness periods. In one of these disease periods, there is exuberance (mania), and in the other, there is depression (depression). These two disease periods, which seem to be opposite to each other, progress with remissions and exacerbations. Except for periods of illness, the patient immediately returns to normal. Although some patients experience residual symptoms that partially affect daily life, the patients recover.
To consider the disease periods, the mania or exuberance period is the period when the mood is very high and the patient is extremely enthusiastic. During this period, the patient may have exaggerated important thoughts or groundless projects, feeling much higher than he is, thoughts of grandiosity, competition of thoughts in the patient's mind, feeling overly energetic, decreased need for sleep, even denying the need for sleep, engaging in exciting or fun activities without thinking about the consequences. (spending too much money, driving too fast) are examples of symptoms.
On the other hand, a period of depression or depression is the opposite of the situation written above. In depression, the patient may experience unhappiness, pessimism, hopelessness, decreased self-confidence, feelings of worthlessness, exaggerated feelings of guilt or regret, inability to enjoy activities that he/she used to enjoy, changes such as loss of appetite or insomnia, thoughts of death and suicide, and unexplained pains in the body.
Bipolar disorder does not differ between societies and is seen in approximately 2-3% on average. The early female rate is equal and the average age of onset is between 20 and 25.
Genetic factors are a significant part of the causes of the disease, and genetic causes are held responsible for an average of 2/3.
One of the reasons is The other is the changes that occur in the transport or levels of chemical substances that provide intercellular communication in the brain and affect the regulation of thought, memory, learning and mood by disrupting the communication in the brain.
Stressful or traumatic events also cause the first disease period of bipolar disorder to occur. may or trigger progressive causes can eat. These are sometimes events such as a death in the family, job loss, birth or moving.
One of the most important features of the course of bipolar disorder is its seasonality. As a seasonal feature, patients experience exuberance and enthusiasm in the spring and summer months, while they experience depression and stagnation in the autumn and winter months. Especially the transition from spring to summer seems to be the most risky period in terms of exacerbation of patients. Approximately one quarter of the patients get worse in the last days of spring and the first days of summer due to this seasonal feature. In these days of deterioration, impulsive and reactive behaviors, increased tendency to aggression, outbursts of anger, excessive spending, and exuberance are at a considerable rate in patients. In addition to these, suicidal tendencies, or rather self-harming behavior, may also be observed from time to time. Even if suicide rates are not very high for this period, it is useful to be careful about the increased risk. In fact, patients' attention span is more impaired during this season. As a result, during this season, patients' thresholds for getting sick are relatively low and, accordingly, they are at risk of exhibiting behaviors that pose the risk of harming both themselves and the people around them.
Drug treatments are important in the treatment of bipolar disorder. The average number of disease episodes in a person in the first ten years of the disease is four. After the first decade, the average time between illness episodes is approximately 1–2 years. If the disorder is left untreated, an average mania episode can last several months. The duration of the untreated depression period is at least 6 months. Between periods of illness, many people return to normal moods. Some people are in a depressed or stagnant mood. While some people have no breaks between disease symptoms, some may experience short-term breaks. But the most common situation is that while the period between disease periods is long in the first years of the disease, this period tends to gradually shorten in the following years.
There is no specific treatment for bipolar disorder, a treatment program is prepared for each patient in collaboration with his doctor. In this treatment program, in addition to drug treatment, life regulation, malnutrition and These include getting away from alcohol and substance use habits, developing positive thinking and behavior skills, learning strategies to cope with stress, and having detailed information about the course of the disease. While lithium is the most preferred drug for drug treatment, antiepileptics and antipsychotics such as valproate and carbamazepine can also be used.
In the treatment of bipolar disorder, preventive treatment is planned as well as treating the disease periods to prevent the patient from getting sick again.
>It may be necessary to give patients some suggestions for their daily lives:
•Share your discomfort with your friends, family members or spouse (if any)
•Sleep as regularly as possible
•Consume little or no alcohol. Stay away from drugs.
•Reduce your stress at work and at home.
•Eat regularly.
•Exercise regularly.
•Breathing. Do the exercises.
•Learn to deal with emotions such as anger and depression one by one.
Determining your daily routines will definitely benefit you. In this way, you will eliminate the potential that triggers periods of mania or depression.
Recognizing the warning signs before the disease period is very important for early intervention. By telling the patient's friends and family members about these warning symptoms, they can help them notice them.
It is beneficial to be as close to the patient as possible during these seasonal transitions. The patient should closely monitor the warning signs. During this period, the patient should stay away from alcohol and other drugs. He/she should definitely maintain his sleep routine and take care of his night's sleep. Getting this sleep at night is as necessary as sleeping eight hours a day. If the patient starts to become agitated, he/she should immediately contact his/her relatives and doctor. Waiting for the disease to escalate makes controlling the disease very difficult. Early intervention increases treatment response. Additionally, during this season, keeping credit cards away from the patient due to the risk of overindulgence, giving car keys under control, and keeping tabs on friends with whom one has established relationships, prevents possible harm.
Warning symptoms during this period include: When:
• Desire to sleep little or not sleep
•Behaving in a way that disturbs the surroundings
•A lot of thoughts flying around in the mind
•Excessive talkativeness
•Getting excited or restless easily
•Spending money recklessly
•There are extreme changes in your weight and appetite.
Read: 0
