Drugs with a definite propensity to cause manic symptoms include levodopa, corticosteroids and anabolic-androgenic steroids. Antidepressants of the tricyclic and monoamine oxidase inhibitor classes can induce mania in patients with pre-existing bipolar affective disorder.
Drugs can rewire other parts of the brain that affect mood and behavior. Drug abuse and addiction can cause changes in the brain that lead to bipolar disorder. Even people who were mentally healthy before their addiction can develop bipolar disorder.
Factors such as stress, poor sleep, and even seasonal changes can play a role in triggering your bipolar symptoms. Learn how you can reduce your risk of bipolar episodes and better manage your condition.
Evidence is emerging that shows that bipolar patients who also abuse drugs or alcohol have an earlier onset and worse course of illness compared with those who do not. They are more likely to experience irritable and dysphoric mood states, increased treatment resistance, and a greater need for hospitalization.
Brain Changes
Research shows bipolar disorder may damage the brain over time. Experts think it's because you slowly lose amino acids. They help build the proteins that make up the insulation around your neurons.
Cyclothymia symptoms alternate between emotional highs and lows. The highs of cyclothymia include symptoms of an elevated mood (hypomanic symptoms). The lows consist of mild or moderate depressive symptoms. Cyclothymia symptoms are similar to those of bipolar I or II disorder, but they're less severe.
Bipolar Triggers and Warning Signs
Bipolar disorder features extreme shifts in mood that are unpredictable and often disruptive to daily functioning. Changes in sleep patterns, eating habits, emotions, and behaviors accompany the mood swings.
Genetics. Bipolar disorder tends to run in families. Children with a parent or sibling with the disorder have a higher chance of developing it than those without affected family members. Identical twins don't have the same risk of developing the illness.
Everyone experiences normal ups and downs, but with bipolar disorder, the range of mood changes can be extreme. People with the disorder have manic episodes, or unusually elevated moods in which the individual might feel very happy, irritable, or “up,” with a marked increase in activity level.
Experts believe bipolar disorder is partly caused by an underlying problem with specific brain circuits and the functioning of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. Three brain chemicals -- norepinephrine (noradrenaline), serotonin, and dopamine -- are involved in both brain and bodily functions.
People with bipolar disorder often experience irritability. This emotion is common during manic episodes, but it can occur at other times too. A person who's irritable is easily upset and often bristles at others' attempts to help them. They may be easily annoyed or aggravated with someone's requests to talk.
Although there is no official classification for end stage bipolar disorder, mild structural changes in the brain that lead to cognitive dysfunction can severely reduce someone's quality of life, especially toward the end of life.
Bipolar disorder is characterised by extreme mood swings. These can range from extreme highs (mania) to extreme lows (depression). Episodes of mania and depression often last for several days or longer.
Defects in mitochondrial DNA sequences may contribute to a predisposition to such complex diseases as diabetes and bipolar disorder. Therefore, if all bipolar disorder patients have mitochondrial predisposition genes, then the transition of bipolar disorder from the mother's side would be higher.
Experts believe bipolar disorder is partly caused by an underlying problem with specific brain circuits and the functioning of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. Three brain chemicals -- norepinephrine (noradrenaline), serotonin, and dopamine -- are involved in both brain and bodily functions.
The symptoms usually appear between the ages of 18 to 29 years, but they can occur at any age, including childhood and the teenage years. Bipolar disorder can be hard to diagnose, but there are signs or symptoms that you can look for.
First of all, it's normal for people with bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions to “shut down” when their brain gets overwhelmed.
Bipolar anger and rage can be common symptoms for people living with bipolar disorder. Not everyone will experience these intense emotional states, but for those who do, it makes this mental health condition even more challenging to navigate.
To diagnose bipolar disorder, a doctor performs a physical exam, asks about your symptoms, and recommends blood testing to determine if another condition, such as hypothyroidism, is causing your symptoms. If the doctor does not find an underlying cause of your symptoms, he or she performs a psychological evaluation.
Cyclothymia, or cyclothymic disorder, causes mood changes – from feeling low to emotional highs. Cyclothymia has many similarities to bipolar disorder.
You'll find more than a few anecdotes suggesting bipolar disorder can change the appearance of the eyes, generally by affecting pupil dilation, gaze, and even eye color. So-called bipolar eyes might include: dilated pupils. “sparkling” eyes, or eyes that appear more liquid than usual.
Bipolar I disorder is the most severe form of the illness. Bipolar II disorder is characterized by predominantly depressive episodes accompanied by occasional hypomanic episodes. Hypomanic episodes are milder than manic episodes but can still impair functioning.
Bipolar spectrum disorder involves a wide range of signs and symptoms that can vary in severity. These symptoms may include mood swings, changes in energy levels and ways of thinking, and sleep disruption. Some mental health experts have described bipolar disorder as a spectrum disorder.
Without proper treatment, people with hypomania may develop severe mania or depression. "Bipolar disorder may also be present in a mixed state, in which you might experience both mania and depression at the same time.