Help to alleviate bipolar disorder
What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression, is a mental disorder that affects your moods, which can swing from one extreme to another. If you have bipolar disorder, you will have periods or episodes of:
- Depression – where you feel very low and lethargic, you feel very negative about life in general, you’re prone to crying, you’re uncomfortable around others
- Mania – where you feel or act abnormally happy, energetic or irritable, making poorly thought out decisions with little regard to the consequences.
Symptoms of bipolar disorder depend on the mood you are experiencing and they can last for days or even weeks. Mood swings can change from one extreme to the other so some people may not experience a ‘normal’ mood very often. People often have social, financial or work related problems due to the disorder as on average they can occur a quarter to a third of the time. The risk of heart disease and other conditions is higher than that of the general population due to poor lifestyle choices and the side effects from medications. There is also a social stigma associated with Bipolar and other forms of depression, with many suffering in silence feeling too ashamed or embarrassed to look for help.
What Causes Bipolar Disorder?
The exact cause of Bipolar is not known but it is believed to involve physical, social and environmental factors acting as triggers for the condition. There are a number of chemicals that are responsible for controlling the brains functions and an imbalance in these chemicals may lead to symptoms of bipolar disorder. There is evidence that suggests there may be genetic influences as the condition sometimes runs in families.
Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder
Period of Depression:
- Feeling sad, hopeless, empty, worthless, suicidal
- Lacking energy and loss of interest in everyday activities
- Feeling guilty, despair, self-doubt, pessimistic about everything
- Difficulty concentrating and remembering things, illogical thinking, delusional, hallucinations
- Difficulty sleeping
- Loss of appetite
Period of Mania:
- Feeling very happy and elated often for no apparent reason
- Feeling full of energy and awake, like you don’t need sleep
- Feeling full of plans and ideas
- Feelings of self importance
- Becoming easily distracted, agitated or irritated
- Loss of appetite
- Talking very quickly
- Making poor decisions, often around spending money or saying inappropriate things
How to help alleviate symptoms of Bipolar Disorder?
Treatment commonly includes psychotherapy and medications, depending on the severity of the disorder. The aim is to reduce the number and severity of episodes of depression and mania to help the person live as normal a life as possible.
I draw on a unique blend of life-changing skills such as CBT,EFT, NLP, Transformational Life Coaching, Strategic Intervention Coaching, to facilitate change for you as an individual and transform your life. I provide help for the Brighton, Hove and Sussex community.
Important Note: Whilst Therapies and Coaching can help to resolve a variety of problems, if you are concerned or in doubt please seek appropriate medical advice from your doctor.