1. Fable: Bipolar Dysfunction Solely Impacts Temper
It’s true that bipolar dysfunction causes excessive temper swings, however this is just one a part of the situation, says Howard Weeks, MD, a psychiatrist at College of Utah Well being in Salt Lake Metropolis.
“When individuals expertise extreme melancholy, it takes a bodily toll on the physique, and likewise with mania,” says Dr. Weeks. Manic episodes may cause elevated exercise or vitality (together with sexual need) and a decreased want for sleep. And depressive episodes may cause vital unintentional weight reduction or acquire, an absence of vitality, extreme sleep, and suicidal ideas and behaviors.
Both one can doubtlessly lead somebody to injure themselves or put themselves in hurt’s approach. “If you find yourself severely depressed or manic, you don’t suppose clearly and might behave in methods you wouldn’t usually. Individuals may even have psychotic episodes with extreme melancholy or with extreme mania,” says Weeks.
Psychosis is a psychological state wherein an individual loses contact with actuality. Signs can embrace disorganized pondering or habits, delusions, or hallucinations, in addition to a decline in functioning. Outward indicators can embrace speech modifications, showing emotionally blunted or inexpressive, and missing vitality.
2. Fable: Bipolar Dysfunction Is Straightforward to Diagnose
It’s truly not unusual for bipolar dysfunction to be mistaken for one more well being situation. As an illustration, in response to one analysis assessment, bipolar dysfunction is usually misdiagnosed as main depressive dysfunction (MDD) in girls.
Some individuals with bipolar dysfunction have extra depressive episodes than manic episodes, which may make the prognosis straightforward to overlook, says Weeks. Within the analysis assessment, the authors famous that ladies with bipolar dysfunction have been extra more likely to expertise the sickness with depressive episodes dominating, in contrast with males.
“It’s typically true that sufferers search assist from medical doctors for melancholy signs extra so than for manic signs,” Weeks says.
“A part of the reason being that when somebody is simply beginning to turn into manic, they could really feel extra productive, and thus their notion is that they aren’t experiencing any issues needing medical assist.”
He encourages anybody searching for assist for melancholy to inform a well being skilled in the event that they’ve skilled any of the next, which could be indicators of manic episodes:
- Fast speech or being unusually talkative
- Decreased want for sleep
- Excessive grandiosity and distorted sense of self-importance
- Racing ideas
- Distractibility
- Elevated goal-directed exercise
- Participating in actions with doubtlessly undesirable outcomes, similar to playing or unsafe intercourse
A unsuitable prognosis can have severe penalties for individuals with bipolar dysfunction. As an illustration, if a person with bipolar dysfunction is misdiagnosed with MDD and so they’re prescribed an antidepressant, the medicine may very well worsen bipolar signs for some individuals.
“This may trigger somebody to enter a manic or hypomanic episode,” says Hayden Heart Jr., PhD, a licensed skilled counselor and member of the counseling core school on the College of Phoenix School of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3. Fable: Bipolar Dysfunction Appears to be like the Identical in Everybody Who Has It
- Bipolar I Individuals with this type of the situation have had at the least one manic episode lasting per week or longer. In some circumstances, the mania is so extreme that it requires hospitalization, says Catherine Athans, PhD, a licensed marriage and household therapist in personal observe in Los Altos, California. If mania goes untreated, an individual’s high quality of life suffers, and it may possibly result in main penalties similar to job loss, she says.
- Bipolar II People with bipolar II have skilled at the least one depressive episode and at the least one hypomanic episode, which entails related however much less extreme signs than a full-blown manic episode and doesn’t require hospitalization, says Dr. Heart. Hypomanic episodes final at the least 4 days, and depressive episodes often final at the least two weeks, he says.
- Cyclothymia That is the least extreme type of bipolar dysfunction. It’s characterised by hypomanic and depressive signs for at the least two years that happen extra steadily however are much less extreme than these of bipolar I or II.
4. Fable: Individuals With Bipolar Dysfunction Are Both Manic or Depressed — Nothing in Between
Though bipolar dysfunction is finest recognized for excessive temper swings, individuals with this situation can have additionally moods which are in between, which means they’re neither depressed or manic, says Heart. These are typically known as “impartial moods.”
How steadily an individual experiences temper episodes or impartial moods is determined by the person.
Some individuals with bipolar dysfunction expertise “speedy biking, and others are slower to shift from temper to temper,” says Dr. Athans. Fast biking implies that you expertise at the least 4 temper episodes in a 12 months.
Temper episodes often start with gentle signs that worsen over time, which may make it troublesome to acknowledge when an episode is beginning, Heart says. “A serious focus of therapy helps a person be taught to determine the indicators that they’re coming into right into a depressive or manic state,” he says.
5. Fable: Bipolar Dysfunction Is Not Life-Threatening
People with bipolar dysfunction have a better danger of suicide than the final inhabitants, says Heart. As many as 19 % of individuals with this situation die by suicide, and as much as 50 % make a nonfatal suicide try, in response to analysis.
Suicide danger is most frequently related to depressive episodes, for a number of attainable causes:
- Depressive episodes could be long-lasting and happen many instances over the course of an sickness. An extended sickness length could elevate suicide danger.
- There are sometimes delays in getting the appropriate prognosis — it may possibly take as much as six to eight years on common. The longer somebody goes with out the appropriate prognosis and therapy, the more severe their situation can turn into.
- It’s widespread to really feel disgrace, guilt, embarrassment, or remorse after a manic episode; analysis reveals that depressive episodes typically comply with mania.
- Involuntary hospitalization for a manic episode could be a traumatic expertise for many individuals and is related to a heightened suicide danger within the three months after discharge.
6. Fable: Mania Will increase Productiveness
It may be exhausting for individuals with bipolar dysfunction to acknowledge once they’re having a manic episode.
Within the early levels of mania, an individual could have lots of vitality and be very joyful, says Heart. They might additionally really feel like they want considerably much less sleep than regular and have an elevated sense of self-importance.
“When somebody is manic, they don’t know anything. They really feel omnipotent. They really feel like they’re the neatest individual within the room,” says Athans.
However mania doesn’t improve productiveness in constructive methods. Whereas mania can really feel good or thrilling within the early levels, these good emotions typically don’t final, and so they’re changed by confusion, irritability, and racing ideas, says Heart. Manic episodes can also result in sleep deprivation and dangerous behaviors, similar to procuring sprees, playing, or reckless sexual behaviors.
“Usually they really feel like they’re productive, however after the mania resolves, [they realize] the work or actions they did are inferior to they thought,” says Weeks.
7. Fable: Individuals With Bipolar Dysfunction Can’t Reside Wholesome, Fulfilling Lives
Though bipolar dysfunction could be troublesome to handle, there are efficient therapies that allow individuals with this situation to operate effectively and stay profitable lives. “That is often achieved with taking mood-stabilizing medicine and attending psychotherapy or counseling,” says Heart.
Individuals with bipolar dysfunction must take medicine all through their lives to scale back their danger of future temper episodes. Along with temper stabilizers, different medicines somebody would possibly want embrace antipsychotic therapies and anti-anxiety medicines. Discovering the appropriate medicine for you could be a trial-and-error course of — if one therapy doesn’t be just right for you, there are others you may strive.
Psychotherapy can also be thought of a cornerstone of therapy; it may possibly assist individuals be taught to handle stress in wholesome methods and acknowledge the triggers that precede manic and hypomanic episodes, says Heart. A type of remedy known as interpersonal and social rhythm remedy may also help individuals with bipolar dysfunction set up constant every day routines, which may also help them higher handle their moods.
Together with medicine and remedy, discovering constructive methods to channel vitality and cut back stress may also help individuals with bipolar dysfunction handle their situation. Listed here are some suggestions:
- Be part of a assist group for individuals with bipolar dysfunction, similar to these supplied by the Despair and Bipolar Help Alliance.
- Train repeatedly to assist hold your temper steady and decrease stress. Your physician may also help you determine how a lot exercise every day is best for you.
- Keep away from utilizing medicine and alcohol, which may make you extra liable to dangerous behaviors, have an effect on how effectively medicines work, and even set off temper episodes.
- Strive to fall asleep and get up across the similar time each day. A constant sleep schedule may also help you preserve a steady temper.
- Strive new hobbies that additionally provide help to chill out and handle stress, similar to yoga or meditation.
The Takeaway
- Bipolar dysfunction, a gaggle of situations that trigger shifting temper states, is steadily misunderstood.
- The signs and expertise of this sickness can differ from individual to individual, and myths surrounding it comprise inaccurate data and infrequently contribute to stigma.
- Whereas bipolar dysfunction could be difficult to handle, it’s attainable to search out an efficient therapy routine and stay a wholesome, fulfilling life with the situation.
