Anxiety and bipolar disorder
Anxiety and bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a mood disorder and is characterised by typical mood swings which swing between extremes of mania and depression. These moods last for abnormal amounts of time, lasting anywhere from a week to a month or even more. During a mood episode, a person with bipolar disorder experiences symptoms characteristic of both moods. In mania some of the symptoms include feeling euphoric, optimistic, reckless, impulsive, hyper-active, decreased need to sleep, irritable, rapid speech, hallucinations, delusions etc. Some symptoms for depression include lethargy, increased sleep, lack of concentration and attention, distractedness, aggressiveness, suicidal ideation etc. While the above mentioned symptoms are now known to be part of bipolar disorder, one symptom that was mentioned as far back as 1921 is anxiety. Anxiety and bipolar disorder have long been studied and some controversy exists as to whether anxiety really is one of the core symptoms of bipolar disorder. Anxiety and bipolar disorder can exist in one of two ways. In one situation anxiety and bipolar disorder are co-morbid conditions – which means that the person has bipolar disorder as well as a separate anxiety condition (as recognised by the Diagnostic Statistical Manual- IV TR) which implies two separate conditions existing together. This situation can be tricky because both the conditions will require different medication, something is not usually recommended. Another problem is that the anti-depressants used to treat an anxiety disorder often make the condition of bipolar disorder worse. In the second condition anxiety is the result of bipolar disorder and as a rule should go away when the condition is treated. If anxiety and bipolar disorder exist as cause and effect, there are certain manifestations specific to bipolar disorder. Most patients experiencing anxiety and bipolar disorder will describe it as feeling agitated. This is obvious in actions such as tapping their foot on the floor when talking, picking or chewing their nails, finding it difficult to sit in one place and constantly jumping in and out of the chair etc. While these are external behaviours, some patients with anxiety and bipolar disorder also complain of feeling like they’re going to explode or that there is too much energy in their skin etc. They also mention racing thoughts or disorganised thinking where they are unable to keep their mind on one thing for more than a few seconds. Usually people with anxiety and bipolar disorder find that even though they may realise the extent of their illness, they are unable to explain it to anyone else. This is because there is no obvious physical manifestation and this can worsen the anxiety. Anxiety and bipolar disorder can form a vicious cycle since many people find that alcohol settles their symptoms. With time this can lead to substance abuse, which just serves to worsen the entire situation.