The word bi-polarBecause a person diagnosed with bipolar disorder experiences both mania and depression, it is also called Manic Depression. means two extremes: one extreme is the excessive sadness (depression) and the other extreme is excessive enthusiasm (mania).
Bipolar disorder causes a person to have dramatic shifts in moods and emotions.
E.g., when having a depressive episode a person can have a low mood, thoughts of suicide, lack of interest in activities, weight gain/loss, too much or too little sleep, etc.
Manic episodes, on the other hand, can cause extreme optimism, irritability, racing thoughts, sleeplessness, rapid speech, impulsive actions, and risky behavior .Like investing all the money in a risky project or participating in extreme sports without safety equipment.
A normal person will have weeks or months of reasonable highs and some lows that may happen because of loss of a job, arguments, death in a family, etc.
A person diagnosed with depression will have reasonable highs but his/her lows will be severe and last longer (at least 2 weeks) than the highs.
A person with bipolar disorder will experience severe lows for at least 2 weeks and extreme highs for at least a weekThis is called Bipolar Disorder 1. In the case of Bipolar Disorder 2, the highs are not as severe and they last for 4 days, instead of one week as in the case of Bipolar Disorder 1. If untreated these highs, in both the cases, can last for up to 6 months., then some period of normalcy before the cycle of extremes repeats itself.
The exact causes of bipolar disorder are not known, but researchers believe it has to do with the malfunctioning of the brain’s pruning (removing weak links) abilities.
Our senses talk to our brain by passing signals to one of the billion neurons (brain cells), which then passes it to the next (then to the next forming a chain) until it reaches the part of the brain responsible for acting on the signal.
The passing of signals from one neuron to the next and to the next forms a connection between neurons and the experiences that are repeated often make these connections strong.
The rule of normal brain development is “use it or lose it” i.e. the brain must prune/remove weak (formed from experiences that are not repeated) or faulty connections for it to focus on the important stuff.
In people with bipolar disorder, the brain’s ability to remove weak or faulty connections is disrupted and the overcrowding of connections sends confusing signals to the brain.
How someone’s brain loses the pruning ability is still unknown but it has been attributed to genetic and environmental factors.
A person with a family member who has bipolar disorder, for example, is 10 times more likely to have it himself/herself.
Environmental factors include stressful events; substance (drugs, antidepressants) abuse has also been linked to this condition.
