Bipolar disorder is characterized by mania, depression or mixed episodes. Between the episodes there is the so-called remission period, i.e. the absence of disease symptoms or their very slight severity.
The first symptoms of affective illness appear before the age of 35. The incidence of this disease reaches 6 - 12%. Both men and women suffer from bipolar disorder just as often.
Symptoms of bipolar disorder
Symptoms of a depressive episode in affective illness:
- sadness, decrease in life motivation;
- inability to enjoy what we usually enjoyed (so-called anhedonia );
- reduction of psychomotor drive, which manifests itself in difficulties to start or take simple daily activities that we previously performed without major problems.
- impaired concentration, attention and memory.
Symptoms of manic episode in affective disorder:
- excessive feeling of euphoria and happiness, inadequate to the situation;
- the feeling that we can do everything and nothing can get in our way at any given time;
- willingness to implement their plans and aggression towards people who want to stand in the way of their implementation;
- vocabulary, quick speaking, illogical statements;
- increased sex drive;
- tendency to risky and self-destructive behavior (self-mutilation).
What is the treatment for bipolar disorder?
The goal of therapy in bipolar disorder is primarily to suppress disease symptoms.
Because it is a chronic disease that often has relapses, treatment is usually long-term. It involves taking medications and parallel psychotherapy .
