Treatments for bipolar disorder symptoms generally include medication and cognitive behavior psychotherapy. Therapy for bipolar disorder should focus on resolving the root issue of the problem. Discuss bipolar disorder treatments with a psychiatrist or therapist using advice from a licensed mental health counselor in this free video on bipolar disorder. Expert: David Thomas Contact: www.WTGTampa.com Bio: Dr. David Thomas has been certified as a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Florida since 1986 and the National Board of Certified Counselors since 1987. Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz

Some Interesting symptoms of bipolar disorder images:

Sunrise, Fort Sumter

Image by Creativity+ Timothy K Hamilton
I’m not sure how often I will be posting. I have bipolar disorder, and it affects my moods, productivity, and creativity.
Here are some of the symptoms:

I have been in depressed mode for about 5 weeks now, and it seems to be ending. I’m a pain to live with at times, and I’m very grateful for my patient, kind, and supportive wife, Grace.

Fortunately, with education, care, and proper medicines and a good doctor, I now am stable about 9 months out of the year. And the ups and downs are less severe. I request that you not feel sorry for me. . .rather get educated and accept that we are all different and unique.

removed tags 2007-10-21 was #20, then dropped to zero 2007-07

London, UK (PRWEB UK) 14 October 2011

The Barcelona Education Group Therapy is a 21-session psychological education therapy suited for patients diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder who are stable. The London Psychiatry Centre is exclusively offering this group therapy which has been found to cut in half bipolar disorder episode relapse rates for up to five years. This is the only psychological intervention shown to have that effect.

Group Therapy Schedule:

Location: The London Psychiatry Centre
Start Date: 02 November 2011
Every Wednesday
21 Weekly Group Sessions
Cost:

Pol 3.14 – Bipolar
from
Price: USD 1.49
View Details about Pol 3.14

Check out these bipolar depression disorder images:

One and Other-Mental Health

Image by Feggy Art
Mental health on the Fourth Plinth (One and Other) performance art in Trafalgar Square, London.

I am standing on the plinth to represent people whose voices so often go unheard, either because they don’t have the necessary support, or they are socially isolated, or they are quite simply desperately marginalized: people with mental health issues.

According to the World Health Organisation, depression will be the second most costly health problem worldwide, coming second only to heart disease and ahead of cancer.

Despite this, however, and despite the fact that around one in four adults will experience them at some point in their lives, mental health problems are still surrounded by ignorance, fear and prejudice.

Research has shown that prejudice against people with mental health issues is actually increasing, despite social attitudes regarding sexuality, ethnicity and other similar issues improving.

by Rogers Memorial Hospital

Bipolar disorder is a mental health disorder that affects approximately 2% of the population in the United States today. This disorder causes frequent, severe shifts in mood – from mania to depression. Oftentimes people will misdiagnose it as a small problem, not the serious one that it is. For this reason, it is important to recognize bipolar disorder’s symptoms and get a diagnosis from a psychologist.

Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder

Some of the most common bipolar symptoms include:

Feelings of extreme elation and deep depression that occur at the same time
Large variations in work quality and output
Periods of great optimism that are either followed or preceded by periods of great pessimism
Periods when you are overly happy or sad
Racing thoughts
Extreme irritability
Inability to concentrate
Feelings of hopelessness
Thoughts of death or suicide

Anyone who experiences these symptoms should talk to a psychologist in order to get a proper diagnosis. Since there isn’t a definitive test (i.e. blood test, brain scan) for bipolar disorder, diagnosing it can be a complicated process that requires the skill and experience of a licensed psychologist.

Diagnosing Bipolar Disorder

In order to reach a diagnosis you will be interviewed by a psychologist. Herein your family history will be looked at since it is believed that bipolar disorder is a genetic condition. Of course, the psychologist will also want to know about your current symptoms (i.e. concentration level, mood, reasoning ability, memory, ability to interact with others) as well. Blood tests and a brain scan may be used to rule out other illnesses with similar symptoms such as drug abuse, stroke and brain cancer.

Treating Bipolar Disorder

There are a lot of great benefits to an early diagnosis. This is especially true whenever you consider that 15% of bipolar patients attempt suicide and 60% abuse drugs or alcohol at some point in their lives. Once diagnosed, there are a lot of different prescription medications available for treating this disorder. Since it is mainly thought to be caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain these medications will be used to correct this. Psychotherapy is also helpful when used with these medications. All of this will allow you to live a “normal” life even though there is no cure for bipolar. Even so, this is thought to be really good news for those who are afflicted by this disorder as many of them will otherwise find that their lives are severely interrupted.

The Best Practice Series in Bipolar Disorder is a series of 3-4 minute videos featuring top physicians discussing the best ways to diagnose and treat Bipolar Disorder based on the most recent key findings. New videos will be regularly added to the series to discuss the current literature on the research and treatment of the condition. The first installment of the Best Practice Series in Bipolar Disorder discusses the best practice for diagnosing the disease. Join Dr Joseph Goldberg and learn the DIG FAST method of diagnosis. For more information, please visit: new.thedoctorschannel.com
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by Ayurvedic-Medicine

Getting a bipolar disorder diagnosis may lead to you feeling that your world has just collapsed. Many cannot deal with getting a bipolar disorder diagnosis and may choose to ignore the diagnosis all to their detriment. If you are asking yourself “What now?” or “What happens next?” it is important to remember that living with bipolar will not be easy and it will be a daily fight for your life and for your sanity but it is important to remember that you have what it takes to lead a full and productive life even with the diagnosis.

Getting a bipolar disorder diagnosis may even bring relief because now you have a way to explain the various symptoms that you or a loved one have been plagued with. Knowing that there is a name for what you or they have been going through brings immense relief in addition to knowing that you are not alone. There are only two choices with bipolar disorder – lose the battle to the disorder or fight tooth and nail to beat this disorder with the various tools available.

If you decide to fight or help a loved one to fight the bipolar disorder, it will not be easy as mentioned previously. However, to help you win the battle of the mind, there are various resources available that include bipolar medications to deal with the various symptoms of bipolar symptoms. There is psychiatric help available as well as bipolar support groups to help the sufferer and family and friends cope with the bipolar disorder.

Early treatment is important for this disorder to keep the devastation that this disorder can cause to a minimum. Early treatment will help to keep the manic highs and the depressive lows that are some of the bipolar symptoms to a minimum.

One of the challenges of any mental illness is that the sufferer after a period of normalcy begins to feel that they do not need the bipolar medications or the talk therapy that are helping to control the various symptoms of bipolar disorder. The sufferer will need to be convinced and reach a point within themselves that they realize that bipolar medications and other therapies are for life and will allow them to lead a full and productive life even when being bipolar.

Some of the bipolar medications may not be suitable and may lead to other issues so it is important to communicate your concerns and issues with your doctor in order to find the bipolar medications and therapies that work for you. You may even consider changing doctors if you are not getting the solutions you need to combat bipolar and the bipolar symptoms effectively.

At the end of the day, someone with bipolar has to get to the point of deciding that they are responsible for themselves and the proper management and control of their disease. It is important to remember that you are not this disease and to keep this disorder at bay and minimize its impact on your life and the lives of your friends and family, you need to find a treatment regimen and stick to it.

Additional ways of taking care of yourself after receiving the bipolar disorder diagnosis are important such as maintaining a healthy diet, exercising and getting adequate sleep. Making a conscious effort to stick to a routine is important if you wish to overcome bipolar disorder and the various symptoms of bipolar disorder.

Getting a bipolar disorder diagnosis is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about and it is nothing to hide. Speaking about it is the first step to overcoming this disorder. Silence that comes from being embarrassed or ashamed is only detrimental. It is important not to be consumed with what other people will think or say if you disclose that you suffer from this disorder. Some will be negative but even more will react positively. You need the support of others to overcome this disorder.

More Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis Articles

by Abode of Chaos

Introduction Most treatment professionals working with children and adolescents are acutely aware of the rise in the rate at which children and adolescents, but most significantly pre-pubescent children, are being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. While estimates vary from article to article, it is interesting to note several recently reported statistics. The New York Times, in an article released in September of 2007, noted that in the 10 year span from 1993 to 2003, there was a forty-fold increase in the rate at which this population was being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, while a more scholarly article (Youngstrom, 2005) noted that marked increases had been found in the rate of diagnosing in children of those involved with Child Protective Services in Illinois. Other writers have pointed to this sharp increase in the rate, some positively (NYT, 2007, Papalos and Papalos, 2006), even saying that there needs to be even more of an increase. Others, however, have expressed alarm at this sharp increase, and have pleaded with professionals to have a more conservative approach to diagnosing this in pre-adults. There is much debate in the field, hotly opinioned views, and contention in the field brought on by the huge gulf between the most liberal, and the most conservative, in terms of this diagnosis. To some extent, this divide is evident between Psychiatrists and Psychologists, and indeed, the previously noted NY Times article pointed out that 90% of the diagnosing of Bipolar Disorder in children was being done by psychiatrists. However, there are many other mental health professionals, including psychologists and other non-psychiatric folk in the field, who take the liberal approach shared by many psychiatrists.

What Drives us to Diagnose Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents? For those who advocate earlier diagnosing, one of the most commonly quoted reasons is prevention: prevention of a poor childhood, prevention of academic difficulties, prevention of social failure, prevention of kindling, etc. The risk, proponents of earlier diagnosing opine, is that failure to act is a disservice to the child, and to those involved in the child’s life. This has been the stated reason driving such professionals as Dr. Dimitri Papalos and his wife, Janice Papalos, and of others, and indeed, any professional with any modicum of empathy has most certainly considered this when reflecting on a case of possible Bipolar Disorder in a child or adolescent. For, if indeed, allowing a child to pass through their childhood without appropriate treatment sentences them to a substandard future, who among us would hesitate to act? The problem is that it is not entirely clear that we have gotten this right, and it is most certainly not clear that what appears to be Bipolar Disorder in children will follow the child into adulthood.

What is this animal we call Childhood Bipolar Disorder? In adulthood, it is well-accepted that Bipolar Disorder involves discrete periods of Mania, and discrete periods of Depression. Of course, there are the murkier cases involving Mixed episodes, though it is well-accepted that such cases do indeed occur in adulthood. However, as we descend retrospectively into childhood, the waters become murkier and murkier. What does Bipolar Disorder look like in early adolescence? What about late prepubescence? And what about the very young? A review of the literature (Papalos and Papalos, 2006, Youngstrom, 2005, Danner-Ogston, et al, in press, Geller, 1997, etc.) reveals opinions that span the spectrum from the very conservative (let’s keep things as they were), to the very liberal (let’s diagnose in infancy). Each opinion is justified in some sort of logical argument or another, but most importantly, there is no consensus, and strong evidence supporting a call for caution.

Conservative Approach The conservative approach to diagnosing Bipolar Disorder in children is to keep things as they are. In other words, the child/adolescent must meet the criteria for Major Depression, and for Mania, in terms of severity of symptoms, and duration of the moods. In this approach, the child would need to evidence severe depression for a week, in most cases, and would have to evince chronic mania for the better part of a week, before they could be considered for the diagnosis. In instances in which there was thought to be a Mixed Episode, these duration criteria could be waived, but the severity criteria could not.

Liberal Approach In the more liberal approach, opinions vary, but there is a general relaxation of the duration and frequency criteria, to the point that in the most liberal approach, children can cycle from minute to minute! Also noted in the more liberal approach is the tendency to re-define what comprises depression or mania in children, with the most liberal approach defining mania as consisting primarily of chronic and severe irritation, or general anger issues. Depression, in this approach, may primarily manifest as anger, or social withdraw.

Interim Conclusion The problem with the conservative approach, in some professionals’ views, is that we are potentially missing children who should have the diagnosis and treatment. And indeed, when a child or adolescent has significant emotional or behavioral issues, and is not treated, their life does often go from bad to worse. The problem with the liberal approach is that treatment, which is led by the medical approach, involves the introduction of potentially toxic psychotropics into the child’s body. Most of the psychotropics used to treat Bipolar Disorder in children and adolescents are prescribed ‘off label,’ without the sanctioning of the FDA, and without knowledge of the potential long-term side effects of such treatment on the developing body and brain.

Current Research Because of the saliency of this particular area of mental health, there has been a great deal of research in the past decade or more. NIMH, NAMI, and other organizations have funded multiple studies to answer questions related to this debate. Books have been written on this, including the infamous The Bipolar Child (Papalos and Papalos, 2006, and earlier editions), The Everything Parents Guide to Children With Bipolar Disorder, and others. So what is the state of the science? What do we know?

According to Papalos and Papalos, in an informal research study which involved polling parents who had identified their child as Bipolar, there was a great deal of diversity in what might be seen in a child or adolescent with Bipolar Disorder. Papalos identified traits of moodiness, nightmares, sleep problems, sensory integration difficulties, extreme temper tantrums, depression, food sensitivities, anxiety, hyperactivity, impulsivity, distractibility, oppositional traits, and other traits. Indeed, they were of the mind that because Bipolar Disorder spanned such an array of symptoms (many of which were found in other childhood mental disorders, such as Autism, Asperger’s, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, etc), one should diagnose this disorder first, and then consider additional diagnoses if the symptoms were not fully explained by the first diagnosis. While Papalos and Papalos’s conclusions were by far the most extreme, there are many researchers who feel that a much more liberal interpretation of what Bipolar Disorder is in children, is needed, though they do not go to the extremes that Papalos and Papalos do. The consensus seems to be that children with Bipolar Disorder will not have the same measures of frequency and duration noted in adulthood. Most liberal diagnosticians maintain that children and young adolescents could ‘cycle daily, and that they may not demonstrate traditional mania, and that their depression may not necessarily be debilitating. Most liberal diagnosticians also maintain that irritability is part of what may be mania, and that Bipolar Children seem to have severe anger problems. Questions that have not be definitively answered center around differential diagnoses (is it Bipolar Disorder, or PTSD, or both? etc).

What if the ‘liberals’ are right? If the liberal approach holds up to the scrutiny of time and research, then there are many children who have been provided with attention and treatment, rightly so, which may prevent future problems. Such a proactive approach may well improve public opinion of the mental health field, as well, and may increase funding directed towards mental health problems, or insurance recognition of mental health problems.

What if the ‘conservatives’ are right? If the conservatives are right, then we potentially have a public disaster on our hands. Treatment of children and young adolescents with Bipolar medications is unproven, sometimes-to-often ineffective, and marred by the many side effects and potential long term damage that could occur. Bipolar medications can cause agitation, increased behavioral difficulty, moodiness, weight gain, shaking, tiredness, and potentially more serious problems, such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, a sometimes deadly skin disease, tremors, seizures, and death. As well, it may be that teaching a child that they have less control over their emotions and behaviors than a typical child, or that they have no control, could cause them to give up and to actually worsen in their behaviors. Also, there are some that opine that parlaying medications on children at a young age imbues in them a strong belief that substances are the answer for their ills … and how far down the road from that is the belief that illicit substances may be the answer?

How well are we doing? Given all the concerns, how are we doing? What do we know about the effectiveness of the more liberal diagnostic and treatment approach? Reviewing the literature, the results are

by Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library

Mental illness is one of the neurological aspects of the bipolar disorder which is synonymous with cognitive disorders although it is a term that refers to the mental and psychological condition of the victims who suffer from the disorder. Generally, people who suffer from this mental condition display abnormal behavior patterns which range from mild to extreme mood disorders. This condition is believed to have been in existence thousands of years ago although understanding on its nature was made possible with the advancement in psychiatry and medicine.

Despite the tremendous progress in research which has shed much light on this condition, people still hold on to misconceptions and myths which have been very detrimental especially to victims. Some irrational arguments that have been propagated about this disease are built on age old fallacies that are linked to witchcraft. It is not very clear when this condition becomes manifest but mental health experts believe that, this condition becomes evident after puberty. This condition is characterized by below average intellectual output, memory loss, poor motor coordination and incoherence in speech.

As a major attribute of bipolar condition, mental illness is also linked to other related conditions such as anxiety, chronic depression, panic attacks and cognitive disorders. There are several factors that contribute to the development of bipolar mental illness. Key of them all is the genetic transfer from parents to children. This actually accounts for a significant number of all reported cases of this disorder. This condition can also be exacerbated by environmental factors. During their formative years, victims may display little or no symptoms of mental illness but as they mature and reach adulthood the symptoms of this condition becomes more manifest. Everything that happens in the lives of the victims contribute to the eventual manifestation of this disease and, therefore, when undergoing diagnosis, victims are taken through their past to reflect on significant events in their lives that may have contributed to their current state.

There are many organizations that help individuals that suffer from this mental condition to cope. Once diagnosis is made and the results are positive victims go for talk therapy first before they get treatment. The prevalence of this condition in respect to modern day pressures has prompted many people to seek medical attention. Quality medication is available to treat this condition hence complete recover is possible. Normally treatment encompasses medication, nutrition and diet, relaxation techniques, and lifestyle change.

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by Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library

Borderline Personality Disorder is not as common as Bipolar, and also we know less about this illness. Twenty percent of hospital admissions for mental illness are diagnosed with this disorder, while fifty percent of hospitalizations for mental illness are bipolar patients. Young women are the group more known to develop Borderline Personality Disorder, while bipolar affects both men and women equally regardless of age.

Mood swings such as anxiety, depression and violent flare ups are experienced in both patients with Borderline Personality Disorder and those with Bipolar. With Bipolar patients these symptoms can last weeks or months in a cycle, whilst in Borderline Personality Disorder it may only last a few hours or a day.

With Borderline Personality Disorder, a patient can reach periods where they they do not know what their likes and dislikes are, who they are as a person or their personal preferences. Their long term goals may change quite often, and trying to stick to one activity becomes difficult. They act on impulse with overeating, shopping sprees and may indulge in sexual liaisons with strangers. Mania is also present in bipolar patients.

Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder also experience emptiness, feelings of being misunderstood or mistreated and worthlessness; much like the symptoms felt in depression of patients with Bipolar.

In terms of relationships, a patient with Borderline Personality Disorder will have extremes of being totally besotted or hating someone with a passion. One minute they will be in love, then a small upset or conflict will instantly make them hate that person. If they fear being abandoned, the patient gets depressed, feels rejection and may threaten suicide. Bipolar patients also have these issues when it comes to relationships.

Treatments for both disorders are also similar. A psychiatrist will prescribe both medication and therapy, the preferred choice. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy was originally developed in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder, but found to be successful for Bipolar patients. There are various medications for both mental illnesses which have been to achieve good results.

There is little known about both illnesses which are thought to be either genetic or due to the environment. Research shows that the nature of Bipolar is more biological and hereditary, whereas Borderline Personality Disorder is due more to the stimuli of the environment and situations.

These similarities show that either illness is difficult to distinguish and diagnose, for doctors and psychologists, too. Anyone who is suffering from these symptoms should medical or professional advice for the correct diagnosis and treatment. Self diagnosis is not the best way to go about treating your symptoms especially with Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder. A psychiatrist or psychologist is the best person to advise you in order for successful treatment to be prescribed, and give you the best chance for managing your mental illness for a better future.

Abnormal psychology.
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