Imagine your friend introduces you to a new member in you theater actor’s guild. In no time at all, she catches everyone’s attention with her energy and extraordinary cheeriness. After the nights practice has finished, your new found friend out of the blue invites you to go to the disco. You decide you can not go but give her your home number instead. Later that night, you awake to a call and here her sobbing on the phone. She is going on about how miserable her life is and how she just wants to end it right than and there. There is nobody that would want to be in this situation but what you have just read about is the reality of a brain disorder called bipolar mania or manic-depressive illness.
Bipolar Mania and What It’s About
Characterized by manic as well as depressive episodes is the biological disorder, bipolar mania. A person with bipolar disorder shows symptoms of extreme exhilaration at one moment than severe depression the next. Particularly, manic signs and symptoms include amplified energy, poor judgment, restiveness, disturbing behavior and a reduced need for sleep. On the other hand, the depressive state is recognized by feelings of hopelessness, intense grief and loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities among others. An alarming fact of bipolar is that an individual may resort to suicide if it goes unattended.
Still, statistics have shown that bipolar mania is affecting a significant number of individuals in the United States at approximately 5 million of the total population. You would not wish it will happen to you or any of your loved ones but if it does, you have to get ready with all the vital information especially on how you can be of best help to them.
Bipolar Treatment Modalities
Bipolar mania can be treated through a combination of approaches even though it is a long term-challenge. Medical methods are one of them. Mood stabilizers are the medications available for this condition. The most common stabilizer is Lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid) while others are prescribed with anticonvulsant medicines such as valproate (Depakote) or carbamazepine (Tegretol). Additionally, individuals who suffer from bipolar mania must also seek mental health professionals for emotional or behavioural psychotherapy. Psychosocial approaches are also taken to bipolar mania and are considered important to the recovery as it involves family therapy, psycho education, and interpersonal therapy.
The Bipolar Support Groups
On the other hand, no medical or psychological approach is successful if it’s not used in conjunction with other methods. Joining bipolar support groups is an invaluable resource for an individual with bipolar mania. Bipolar support groups are very educational because various discussions about the disorder are made at length. More than the information though is the sharing of true-to-life experiences that makes the group relate well to each other.
Bipolar sufferers won’t have to feel alone or alienated from others anymore while in a bipolar support group as it offers a warm environment to them. Bipolar support groups also give the opportunity to speak openly about the pains and hardships while gaining recognition from others. The group can collectively brainstorm about local resources and how to obtain support from the government.
Intelligent Prognosis
It is out of the question to actually know whether a person with bipolar mania may or may not be able to cope with the disorder. Depending on whether or not they get into a bipolar support group which will observe them through the process is the real determinant which has treatment value. With the right kind of help from the people, individuals with bipolar mania are indeed on their way to a fully functioning life.
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