Summary Of Bipolar Disorder

Currently the best treatment for bipolar disorder is a combination of medical medicine along with therapy and counseling. The medicines used to treat bipolar disorder are grouped together in three categories: Anticonvulsants, Antidepressants, and Antipsychotics. Each medicine is prescribed to the patient according to the symptoms the individual is experiencing. Each bipolar disorder case is different and it is important to diagnose the patient properly in terms of medicine and counseling for better recovery results from the

Medication is the first line of defense in treating bipolar disorder. Traditionally, lithium was the drug of choice for bipolar patients. Though lithium is still used

Before the pharmacotherapy era, bipolar disorder was not a very common disorder until the use of legal and illegal drugs. According to Whitaker, “… 60 percent of those with a bipolar diagnosis said they had initially fallen ill with major depression and had turned bipolar after exposure to an antidepressant” (181). Antidepressants are used to treat bipolar disorder, but it seems that instead of treating it, it makes it worse.

Bipolar disorder has been gaining more and more attention over the last few years. With shootings on the rise, or at least the publicity of them, people are often pointing their fingers at mental diseases including bipolar disorder. An ongoing issue regarding mental illnesses, however, is the population has failed to fully understand what they truly are, the symptoms, and how to treat them.

Jann States that sufferers of BPD are three times more likely to suffer a depressive episode than a manic or hypomanic episode. (Jann, 2014) The Joanna Briggs institute Identified that the suicide rate for bipolar suffers are 15 times higher than that of non-affected individuals of the same age and sex. Eighty percent of these suicides occur during a depressive episode. (Hung Chu, 2016). Therefore appropriate pharmacological therapy not only during the maintenance period to reduce reoccurrence but also during these acute episodes is highly important. Pharmaceutical treatment includes the use of medication such as mood stabilizers, anti-psychotics and anti-depressants. The Joanna Briggs institute recommends that combination therapy involving both mood stabilizers such as Sodium valproate or lithium valproate and antipsychotics risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine and haloperidol is best to treat acute mania associated with Bipolar. As it increases adherence to medication regime. (Tufanaru, 2016) The same institute encourages the use Olanzapine as a monotherapy or in combination with fluoxetine in the treatment of Depression associated with Bipolar disorder. (Hung chu, 2016) Lithium continues to be the first line mood stabilizer under current guidelines but may be used in conjunction with Carbamazepine where depression is evident. (Hung chu, 2016) The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2015 also shows preference for combination therapy

Bipolar disorder is a serious illness that can upset a person’s entire life if they do not receive proper medical or therapeutic treatment to manage the presenting symptoms. Bipolar disorder includes an array of moods that can range from extreme highs (mania, hypomania) and extreme lows (bipolar depression) that can be treated by medication. One medication that works well in treating the highs and lows, while preventing further mood upsets is lithium. Lithium has effectively treated mood instability associated with bipolar disorder for decades and, while being such a widely used drug, the positive and negative side effects have to be examined, along with other medication options in the

Multiple psychiatric comorbidities, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as anxiety, interfere with diagnosis and treatment and likely contribute to increased disease morbidity and mortality in general and to increased suicide risk in particular (Maletic, 2014). Bipolar disorder is also thought to have a genetic component as this disorder tends to run in families (Bipolar Disorder, 2014). Knowing that there may be a genetic component could help potentially diagnose sufferers of this disorder sooner than later. Granting, bipolar disorder cannot be cured there are many medications that can be used to treat this disorder so that the person affected by this disorder can life a functional

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was first developed in 1938. It has a history of abuse, exploited as a means of punishing or controlling people in mental hospitals, consequently ECT had poor reputation with negative depictions, but since then it has drastically improved with confirmed effectiveness. Despite the improvement in techniques, the use of ECT continues to decline since the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE,2003) states that it should only be administered to severely depressed patients for whom psychotherapy and medication have proved ineffective or when the condition is considered potentially life threatening. For example, when there is a risk of suicide or risk to others because ECT has much quicker results than

Treatment of the comorbid condition in conjunction with bipolar disorder is critical to ensure desired outcomes. Comorbid conditions increase the complexity and difficulty of treatment for individuals with bipolar disorder. As an example, a common comorbid condition, anxiety is treated with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) may exacerbate manic cycling episodes (Mclntyre et al., 2008). It is important for checks and balances to be utilized when treating comorbid conditions. Clinic guidelines regarding bipolar disorder acknowledge the complexity and difficult nature of treatment. Some research professionals believe that the chronicity and elevated rates of suicide in patients with bipolar disorder are attributed its diagnostic and therapeutic

The use of drugs can be the most efficient method of treating Bipolar disorder; different types of drugs have been successful in easing the main symptoms; Mood stabilisers, antipsychotics and anticonvulsant are the main treatment types used. Lithium Carbonate is a first-line treatment in bipolar disorder as it is a long-term method of treatment for episodes of mania, hypomania and depression. Lithium can often subdue symptoms when a patient is in the midst of a manic episode, and it may also ameliorate the symptoms of a depressive episode. The single most important use for lithium, nonetheless, is in preventing new episodes of mania and depression. Lithium’s mechanism of action on the brain is still unknown; However, It has been speculated

There are not nearly as many treatments for bipolar disorder. In fact, there is only one treatment that seems to have lasting effects. This treatment uses therapy with a professional coupled with medications. “Antibipolar drugs, also called mood stabilizers, help steady the mood of those with a bipolar disorder” (Chapter 2, 2009). The advances in treatment are due to the discovery of lithium as a medication. This drug works extremely well to eliminate manic episodes and even help with the depression. The drugs

The article, “Anticipation related brain connectivity in bipolar and unipolar depression: a graph theory approach,” by authors Anna Manelis, Jorge R. C. Almeida, Richelle Stiffler, Jeanette C. Lockvich, Haris A. Aslam, and Mary L. Phillips pertains to bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. Although they are different mood disorders caused by psychosocial, cognitive and emotional dysfunction, their symptoms of depression make it quite difficult for physicians to distinguish the differences between them. Therefore, neurobiological markers are used to identify the particular disorder a patient has and what therapeutic strategies or treatments are suitable for each patient. Furthermore, studies have shown that individuals suffering from