affective bipolar
I would like to know more about dissorder bipolar affective (depression)?
It is a form of depression that I was just diagnoised with whom I had since my teens a'm now 38
From highest to lowest. From euphoria to depression. From recklessness to listlessness. These are the extremes associated with the disorder bipolar, which can be a serious and disabling mental illness. Bipolar disorder is also known as manic-depression or manic-depressive – behavior maniac is one extreme of this disorder and depression is the other. Bipolar disorder often begins in adolescence or adulthood and may persist throughout life. The causes of bipolar disorder are elusive, and no cure. The outbreaks of bipolar disorder may last for weeks or months, causing major disruption in the lives of those affected, their friends and their families. If untreated, the disease tends to worsen. However, bipolar disorder can be treated with medication and other therapies. Doctors and researchers do not know exactly what causes bipolar disorder. However, a variety of biological, genetic and environmental factors seem to be involved in the cause and trigger episodes of this disease. Evidence indicates that differences in the chemical messengers between nerve cells in the brain (neurotransmitters) occur in people with bipolar disorder. In many cases, people with bipolar disorder may have a genetic predisposition to the disorder. The disturbance may be in genes that regulate neurotransmitters. However, not everyone with a family member who has bipolar disorder develop the disease. Factors that may contribute to or trigger episodes of bipolar disorder include drug abuse and stressful or psychologically traumatic events. Bipolar disorder tends to run in families. A family history of depression appears to exist in 80 percent to 90 percent of cases of bipolar disorder. Researchers are trying to identify genes that may make people susceptible to bipolar disorder. Treatment: medication and psychotherapy are the main treatments for bipolar disorder. Sometimes doctors use electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Most medicines of people with bipolar disorder take medication to regulate mood. Lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid) has been widely used as a mood stabilizer and is usually the first line of treatment for manic episodes. Antiseizure medicines such as valproic acid (Depakene), divalproex (Depakote) and lamotrigine (Lamictal) are also widely used as mood regulators. Topiramate (Topamax), another anti-seizure medication, also sometimes used to stabilize mood. Sometimes, doctors also use antidepressants to treat depression associated with bipolar disorder. These may include paroxetine (Paxil), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), sertraline (Zoloft) or bupropion (Wellbutrin), among others. In other circumstances, doctors can use antipsychotics such as risperidone (Risperdal) or olanzapine (Zyprexa). One medication, quetiapine (Seroquel), has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat both episodes manic and depressive episodes of bipolar disorder. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), certain antipsychotic drugs may increase the risk of diabetes, obesity and hypertension. Therefore, the ADA recommends that doctors screen and regular monitoring of people taking Risperdal, Zyprexa and Seroquel for bipolar disorder. You may have to take medication for several weeks before they reach their full effect. Psychotherapy This approach is often used simultaneously with medication. Your therapist will help detect patterns that led to episodes of bipolar disorder, trying to identify the triggers of these episodes. These patterns might include the use of drugs or anything that happens to you physically or emotionally. Psychotherapy helps provide strategies to manage stress and cope with the uncertainties. This, along with basic education about the nature of the disease, helps you understand why you may need to keep taking medicine for many years. Electroconvulsive therapy (TEC) Doctors use this therapy, especially in people with major depressive episodes associated with suicidal or in people whose medication proved ineffective. In this treatment, electrodes are recorded in your head. So, while anesthetized, and after receiving a muscle relaxant, a small amount of electrical current passes through your brain for less than a second. This current produces a stroke, but due to the muscle relaxant, your body remains calm. ECT profoundly affects brain metabolism and blood flow to various brain areas. How that correlates to easing depression remains unknown, but this therapy is often very effective. Bipolar Disorder Self-care is not a disease that can be treated on its own. But you can do some things for yourself that will strengthen your program Treatment: Take your medicine. Even if you feel good, to resist the temptation to skip medication. If it stops, the signs and symptoms of the disease may recur. Pay attention to warning signs. You and your doctors have identified a pattern in episodes of bipolar disorder and what triggers it. Call your doctor if you sit in front of an episode. Involve family members or friends in watching for signs of warning. Avoid drugs and alcohol. Drugs, especially stimulants, including diet drugs and alcohol can be part of what triggers episodes of bipolar disorder. Check before taking other medications. Call the doctor who is trying for bipolar disorder before you take medications prescribed by another physician. Sometimes other medications trigger episodes of bipolar disorder or may interact with medications it is taking to treat bipolar disorder. Coping skills: Coping with bipolar disorder can be difficult. Support groups can be a valuable part of a more broad social support that includes health professionals, family, friends and communities of worship. Various support groups bring together people, family and friends are doing against any of a wide variety of health problems, physical or mental. Support groups for bipolar disorder provide an environment where people can share their problems common and provide ongoing support to others. Ask your doctor about self-help groups that may exist in their community. Your local health department, public library, the phone book and internet can also be good sources to locate a support group in your area. Take Care & Good Luck! 
Episode 4: What is Bipolar Disorder? An interview with Megan
