Bipolar Disorder And Depression: The Latest Understanding About the Condition
Manic-depression, more commonly known as bipolar disorder, is a form of depression that causes a person to feel as if they are on a roller coaster ride of emotions. This brain disorder causes shifts in a person's energy, mood and ability to function. There is usually no warning to the shifts, and if left untreated, it can cause problems in relationships, and even suicide.
Who does bipolar disorder affect?
Bipolar disorder affects approximately 2.6 percent of the population aged eighteen or over. It usually develops during the late teens, early adulthood years although some symptoms have been spotted in children. It is a long-term illness that must be managed throughout a person's life and it is does not care if you are poor, rich, or in between.
Children and adolescents of parents who are bipolar are more likely to develop this disorder than those whose parents are normal. It is also very difficult to diagnose in them simply because the symptoms mirror many of the normal ups and downs of being a pre-teen and teenager, such ADHD, simply being defiant, and possible drug abuse. If your pre-teen or teen begins to talk about suicide, or even attempts suicide, seek out medical attention immediately.
What causes bipolar disorder?
There is no one thing that causes bipolar disorder. It does, however, run in families, sending researchers off to look for a genetic trigger. Through scientific studies and the observation of individuals and families, researchers have come to the conclusion that it could be caused by specific genes acting together with a person's surroundings that causes this disorder. There have also been suggestions that the way a person's brain works is influential in the individual's vulnerability and predisposition towards being affected with it.
Where does the depression fit in?
Bipolar disorder and depression go hand in hand. Someone with bipolar disorder experiences mood swings - or episodes - that rock back and forth between mania and the need to be on the move doing something all the time, and depression, where they crash and burn. The mania and depression will cycle back and forth. Everyone is different and how severe their mania and depression is will depend on all of the variables that surround the individual.