how often is bipolar misdiagnosed
Bipolar affective disorder, also known as bipolar disorder or manic depression, is a mental illness in which the patient has mood swings and cycling mood. The mood cycles between depression, mania, and normal behaviors. Episodes of depression are often accompanied by sadness extreme feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, decreased energy and sleep too. Manic episodes are often accompanied by extreme happiness, disability sleeping, increased energy, racing thoughts, and distractibility. Mixed episodes, in which the patient shows symptoms of mania and depression at the same time, also occur.
Bipolar affective disorder is caused by a combination of neurological, biological, emotional and environmental. The true causes of bipolar affective disorder are not fully understood. However, researchers and doctors are continually making progress in this area.
There are two types of bipolar affective disorder. The first type consists of an almost constant state of minor mania, with alternating periods of mania and depression extreme. The second type of bipolar disorder involves an almost constant state of depression, alternating with minor small outbreaks of mania.
Before bipolar affective disorder fully understood, people with the first type of the disease is often diagnosed as schizophrenic. This is due to the fact that many with a type of bipolar affective disorder tend to lose touch with reality, have hallucinations or delusions during more severe manic.
The second type of bipolar affective disorder is often misdiagnosed as clinical depression. This is because the patient is often depressed, and do not complain of being happy during manic episodes. The diagnosis is usually corrected after medication treatment for depression has started. Antidepressants patients with bipolar disorder tend to throw the patient into a manic phase. If this occurs, the physician will immediately realized his mistake and switch the patient to a stabilizer mood.
There are many treatment options for bipolar affective disorder. The most common treatment for bipolar affective disorder is a combination of medication and therapy or counseling. Medication options include mood stabilizers, antidepressants and antipsychotics. Options include methods traditional counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, behavior therapy and rational emotive behavior therapy. CBT, EBT, and RBT are fairly new forms of treatments therapy bipolar affective disorder, which have been found to be a great success. Patients who are not candidates for medication can often be successful with CBT, EBT, or RBT therapy alone.
While bipolar disorder is not a new disease, there is still little known about it. As doctors and researchers learn more about the brain and how it works, the more likely a cure for bipolar disorder are found. Meanwhile, people who feel that may show symptoms of bipolar affective disorder should contact a mental health professional for diagnosis and treatment options. Family or friends who notice these other symptoms should also seek to help the person find help for his mental illness. Bipolar affective disorder do not have to control their lives, if they are willing to undergo treatment for control.
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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – About Bipolar Affective Disorder
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