The American singer is just another celebrity who has discovered he suffers from bipolar disorder. On David Letterman’s show, the rapper confided in his diagnosis of a condition that makes him “think everything is a conspiracy.” Mariah Carey, who also admitted in a 2018 interview that she suffers from the same problem, admitted that she didn’t recognize guilt and hyperactivity — both symptoms — until she sought medical help.
But these are just the most well-known cases of the approximately 1 percent of the world’s population who suffer from this disease. The proportion is similar for both sexes. In a national estimate, there are approximately 200,000 cases of bipolar disorder diagnosed in Portugal.
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a mental illness characterized by marked changes in mood, with recurrent episodes of depression and “mania”, according to medical information published on the Saúde Cuf website. These two types of crises can occur in the same person, although their frequency can also vary.
It is up to the psychiatrist to evaluate these cases and confirm or not diagnose a serious mental health condition, as people suffer from episodes of hyperactivity and depression.
The causes of this disease are not yet fully understood, but genetic and biological factors appear to play a dominant role in the emergence of crises. This is because bipolar disorder is not very easy to detect, as its symptoms can be isolated and mood swings can be random events, which can delay your treatment.
symptoms
Bipolar disorder includes symptoms of mania and depression. The main symptom of mania is an elevated and expansive mood, with some euphoria. At the beginning of the crisis, the person may feel happier, in a state that can leave the patient with rapid speech and overreaction to external stimuli. The extreme point of this crisis may be denial.
In the more depressive mood, the main symptom is low self-esteem, among other things, feelings of guilt, difficulty concentrating, decreased libido, or changes in appetite, weight, and sleep. However, “in general, a bipolar patient seeks help more readily during the depressive phase than during the manic phase.”
Sometimes mixed crises occur, where a person experiences symptoms of depression and mania in the same crisis. The duration of the crises varies greatly, as does the period between the two phases, as they can last for hours, days, or months.
treatment
Although there is no cure for this disease, mood stabilizers can shorten or prevent episodes and thus control the disease.
After medical advice, prescription antidepressants or antipsychotics can be continued. However, more severe crises may require hospitalization. In any case, individual and family psychological support is an important complement.
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