They include: A persistent, intense feeling of nervousness: This can include worrying, anxiety, and panic attacks. A person may also avoid taking part in activities. These symptoms persist during manic and depressive episodes.
These mood episodes cause symptoms that last a week or two, or sometimes longer. During an episode, the symptoms last every day for most of the day. Feelings are intense and happen with changes in behavior, energy levels, or activity levels that are noticeable to others.
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.
Sleep, negative life events, drug and alcohol use, seasonal changes, the reproductive cycle, as well as goal attainment and positive events can all have a deleterious impact on your stability, triggering a destructive cycle of mood switching.
The co-occurrence of an anxiety disorder with bipolar disorder can worsen the symptoms and course of each disorder, so it's essential that both are treated.
Most patients who have bipolar disorder have a coexisting anxiety disorder. These include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobia, panic disorder, and PTSD. Anxiety disorders, by themselves or in combination with a mood disorder, are associated with an increased risk of suicide and psychosocial dysfunction.
Starting an antidepressant (a common medication approach for anxiety disorders) before mood stabilization is achieved may worsen the bipolar disorder symptoms. However, an antidepressant can trigger manic episodes, even while taking a mood stabilizer.
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.
In bipolar disorder, anxiety is a non-specific symptom with multiple causes, including mood episodes, stress, and comorbid anxiety disorders.
Lamotrigine. Lamotrigine (Lamictal) may be the most effective mood stabilizer for depression in bipolar disorder, but is not as helpful for mania. The starting dose of lamotrigine should be very low and increased very slowly over four weeks or more.
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.
Some experts believe that experiencing a lot of emotional distress as a child can cause bipolar disorder to develop. This could be because childhood trauma and distress can have a big effect on your ability to manage your emotions.
Mood stabilization is generally the first priority before addressing the anxiety disorder. Polypharmacy is the rule in the treatment of comorbid bipolar and anxiety disorders. Mood stabilizer monotherapy is unlikely to be effective for all symptoms.
Racing thoughts are often one of the first symptoms to develop when someone with bipolar disorder is entering a hypomanic or manic episode. 4 It can be—but is not always—a debilitating experience. Some people describe it as having excessive thoughts that move quickly, but with a sense of fluidity and pleasantness.
Exposure to life stress is known to adversely impact the course of bipolar disorder. Few studies have disentangled the effects of multiple types of stressors on the longitudinal course of bipolar I disorder.
Using antidepressant medication alone to treat a depressive episode is not recommended in people with bipolar I disorder. The drugs may flip a person, particularly a person with bipolar I disorder, into a manic or hypomanic episode.
Bipolar disorder is frequently inherited, with genetic factors accounting for approximately 80% of the cause of the condition. Bipolar disorder is the most likely psychiatric disorder to be passed down from family. If one parent has bipolar disorder, there's a 10% chance that their child will develop the illness.
“When stressed, bipolar patients will often, out of desperation, reach for anything to calm themselves or take away the stress even for a moment. Drugs, binge-eating, or excessive shopping can be unhealthy coping mechanisms that can bring on mood episodes,” Dr. Israel says.
Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness that causes unusual shifts in mood, ranging from extreme highs (mania) to lows (depression).