There are two main kinds of bipolar disorder: Bipolar I Disorder and Bipolar II Disorder. The biggest difference between them is whether the person has had a manic episode or not because bipolar disorder has manic and depressive episodes as symptoms of bipolar disorder. Tests for bipolar disorder pathophysiology are essential to get effective and purposeful treatment.
Types of bipolar disorder pathophysiology
Manic Episodes
Symptoms of a manic episode are:
- magnified self-esteem
- irregular sleeping pattern
- chattiness
- racing thoughts
- distractibility
- increase in objective-oriented routine
Extreme superfluous involvement in pleasurable routines such as wild shopping or wild sexual desire can potentially negatively affect.
Depressive Episodes
The main symptoms of a depressive episode are:
- continuous depressed mood
- lack of pleasure and happiness
- excessive weight loss or gain
- insomnia or hypersomnia
- restlessness
- lack of energy
- fatigue
- feelings of worthlessness
- inability to concentrate &
- continuous thoughts of death or suicide.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-5), if a patient is experiencing five symptoms of depression for a period of fifteen days and at least one of those symptoms (such as depressed mood) all the time or has a complete loss of interest in pleasurable routines, they have a depressive episode.
Depressive Mania
Mania and depression episodes normally recur for the entire life of the patient. Between episodes, though, many people with bipolar disorder are typically free of symptoms.
There are, however, around 1/3 of patients who have residual symptoms. A minimal number of people experience chronic, unremitting symptoms despite getting proper treatment for bipolar disorder.
As time passes, rapid cycling develops in the illness, which turns into depressive mania. This is more common among women than men.
Mood Disturbances
According to the literature of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM V) of the American Psychiatric Association, a manic episode can occur if a person experiences a mood disturbance and a lot of other symptoms for a period of at least one week.
A pivotal factor is that if these symptoms have come into being due to drug abuse or hyperthyroidism, they are not termed manic episodes.
A Closer Look at Bipolar Disorder Pathophysiology
To understand bipolar disorder, it is important to take a closer look at the two types of the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder.
Bipolar I Disorder patients have experienced at least one manic episode in combination with depressive episodes.
Bipolar II Disorder patients experience one or more depressive episodes combined with at least one episode of hypomania without any manic episodes.
The difference between the two bipolar types of this disorder is that a person suffering from Bipolar I Disorder must experience a manic episode.
Grading Bipolar Disorder Pathophysiology
Determining the kind of bipolar disorder being suffered is not as simple as grading solely based on the complexity of the symptoms. This type of analysis is totally baseless because Bipolar I Disorder and Bipolar II Disorder differ specifically in experiencing manic episodes. They are more classified based on the level to which the mania occurs rather than on impairment of the disorder causes.
Bipolar Effects
Bipolar disorder affects individuals differently. A study that took a sample of people diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder came up with a wide spectrum of impairment, distress, and adaptation to the disorder. The same holds for individuals suffering from Bipolar II Disorder.
Getting Help
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder pathophysiology and still have some questions regarding this illness, you should speak with your health care provider to find out more. There is nothing wrong with educating yourself about bipolar disorder as it can play a prominent part in treatment and recovery.
Tests for Bipolar Disorder Pathophysiology
If you need a successful treatment of bipolar disorder, the right diagnosis is an absolute way. Diagnosis is not as straightforward as symptoms of bipolar disorder are episodic.
A detailed medical and mental health history of you and your family is required. Even though bipolar disorder is a psychological illness, an exhaustive medical record is taken. A thorough physical exam is required to rule out any physical cause of the symptoms to make an effective test for bipolar disorder.
Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder Pathophysiology
It is of the utmost importance that a complete history of current and past symptoms be taken into account when giving the patient’s history.
Depressed patients often experience psychomotor retardation, have a decreased routine, decreased speech rate, and other symptoms. Manic patients tend to experience the opposite in terms of activity, speech, and routine.
Depressed Patients
Some patients suffering from the depressive state of bipolar disorder may have delusions and hallucinations. According to a study conducted on depressed patients, have a pessimistic view of themselves, and of the world, many have attempted suicide or contemplated it.
Manic Patients
Manic patients are euphoric, excited, and hyperactive; they can appear psychotic to people who do not understand that they have a manic episode.
The speech of manic patients becomes louder, faster, and tough to interpret as they can be filled with jokes, rhymes, word salad, neologisms, and irrelevancies. Manic patients have difficulty concentrating on one topic and exhibit a flight of ideas.
Many manic persons have delusions of grandeur, boast of extraordinary abilities, affluence, or power. Apart from that, they can have a low frustration tolerance and become very irritable.
Thorough medical history
A thorough medical history and physical exam should be implemented to exclude any possible physical causes for mood swings such as head injury, AIDS, and diabetes.
Medicine taken by the patient should be accounted for because corticosteroids and drugs used to treat Parkinson’s disease, depression, and anxiety can lead to bipolar-type mood symptoms.
Experts also advise blood and urine tests for drugs and alcohol to rule out these substances’ physiological effects. Your health care provider will also ask for the family medical history because recent studies have concluded that bipolar disorder has a strong genetic association.
Detecting Bipolar Disorder Pathophysiology
Bipolar disorder pathophysiology is quite tough to differentiate from other conditions and, despite advancements in medical technology, there is no distinct method to detect the bipolar disorder. Because there is no way to diagnose bipolar disorder with a simple barrage of tests definitively, many individuals have bipolar disorder for a long time before getting the right diagnosis and treatment.
Dual Nature
Bipolar disorder pathophysiology is dual in nature, making it tough for the condition to be detected easily. Recent research has concluded that during the manic or hypomanic stage, affected patients seldom ask for a treatment because of feelings of euphoria and extreme optimism.
When they experience depression, they may not seek help because of low feelings. They may have coping mechanisms that hide the symptoms, so other people cannot seek help for them.
Questionnaire and Exams
There is no laboratory test to detect bipolar disorder, but mental health professionals can determine if they have bipolar disorder symptoms. They will sometimes make use of a questionnaire.
The Mood Disorder Questionnaire, or MDQ, works to get a complete psychiatric history, medical history, and physical exam. If no physical cause is found and the symptoms lean in the direction of bipolar disorder pathophysiology, the patient will be diagnosed and begin treatment.
Scans like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron-Emission Tomographic (PET) can also go a long way in detecting abnormalities in the brain, leading to a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
Professional Help
Most people will seek professional help when they are in the depressive phase. Still, they tend to take into account only the depressive symptoms they experience and do not initially give mania details. Due to this, they are often incorrectly diagnosed with depression instead of tests for bipolar disorder. The diagnosis becomes more complex because the symptoms in bipolar disorder pathophysiology are similar to other psychiatric disorders.
Recommended Books: Bipolar Disorder FD 3E (For Dummies)