Your friends introduced you to a new member in your theater actors guild. She easily caught everybodys attention with her energy and extraordinary cheeriness. That nights practice has ended and everybody was raring to get home. However, your new found friend surprisingly invited you to go the disco. You declined but gave her your home number instead. You awoke to a call and heard her sobbing on the phone. She was ranting about how miserable her life is and how she just wants to end her life right there and then! Nobody would want to be in this shocking situation but what you just read is a reality of a brain disorder called bipolar mania or manic-depressive illness.

Bipolar Mania and What Its 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.

Treatment

Even if bipolar mania is a long-term challenge, the condition can be treated through a combination of approaches. One is through the medical method. The medications available for this condition are termed as mood stabilizers. The most common is Lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid) while others are prescribed with anticonvulsant medicines such as valproate (Depakote) or carbamazepine (Tegretol). In addition, individuals with bipolar mania also see mental health professionals for cognitive or behavioral psychotherapy. Lastly, psychosocial approaches to bipolar mania are deemed important to recovery as it involves family therapy, psycho education, and interpersonal therapy.

The Bipolar Support Groups

Then again, if the medical and psychological approach is not used in conjunction with the other methods then it will not be successful. It is an invaluable resource for an individual with bipolar mania to join bipolar support groups. Various discussions about the disorder are made in depth in these bipolar support groups, making them very educational. Sharing of true-to-life experiences is also done apart from the information and this makes the group relate well to each other.

Bipolar sufferers wont 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.

Tags: Mental Health