It is a natural feeling that everyone experiences at one time or another to feel good and uplifted through pleasant and happy events, and to feel sluggish and somewhat depressed after going through difficult and irritating events. However, repeating these emotions in an extreme form can cause several problems. Depression is one of the most common mood disorders. It refers to a condition in which the manic symptoms are exhilarating, confident, and active, and the depressive state in which the mind is subdued repeatedly throughout life. It is also called bipolar disorder in the sense that it is characterized by moody and exhilarating mania and depressed mood. The main cause of the occurrence of bipolar disorder is still not clearly known. Genetic factors, biological factors, psychosocial factors, etc. are known to affect the onset of the disease by acting complexly with each other. In addition, various factors such as irregular lifestyle, lack of sleep, severe mental stress, and low sunlight are known to exacerbate the symptoms of bipolar disorder. The incidence of bipolar disorder is lower than that of depression, and it is known that it occurs at a rate of about 1% of the total population. Now, let’s learn about the main symptoms, treatment, and prevention of bipolar disorder.
Main symptoms of bipolar disorder
Manic depression is characterized by repeated episodes of high mood mania or low mood depression. When mania occurs, you become overly moody and talkative. And when you sleep at least, you don’t feel very tired, and you feel very energetic and motivated. On the other hand, when you are depressed, you lose interest in things you used to enjoy, and you become sensitive and nervous to even the smallest things. In addition, appetite or weight may decrease significantly, and in severe cases, systemic symptoms such as headache, constipation, and digestive disorders may appear. These various symptoms appear alternately, but sometimes only mania occurs continuously, depression symptoms appear, and mania occurs only occasionally. Bipolar disorder has a tendency to repeat improvement and recurrence, and whenever it recurs, various related symptoms significantly interfere with daily life, work, and academic activities, greatly affecting the quality of life. It is also known that there are many more extreme cases than depression due to confusion caused by sudden changes in emotions and energy. However, in recent years, it has been reported that a significant improvement can be expected through accurate diagnosis and treatment due to the development of the treatment area, so continuous treatment and management are important. How to treat and manage bipolar disorder
1. Diagnosis and Steady Treatment
Bipolar disorder is diagnosed through an examination by a psychiatrist, history taking, and question-and-answer process. After that, depending on the diagnosis result, drug treatment and psychotherapy will proceed. Among them, drug therapy is the most basic treatment for bipolar disorder. For the purpose of resolving the imbalance of the chemical signaling system that controls the action between neurons in the brain, mood modulators and antipsychotic drugs are used. In addition, if the symptoms can harm yourself or others, or if there are serious medical problems, such as side effects of medications, hospitalization may be required.
2. Maintaining a regular life rhythm
The management method to minimize the sudden change in mood of bipolar disorder is to maintain a regular rhythm of life. It is important to maintain a regular sleep pattern, such as setting a regular bedtime and wake time at night, and to minimize factors that can disrupt your normal rhythm. And it is necessary to control the burden of study or work so that excessive pressure and pressure do not occur in a short period of time. In addition, lack of sunlight causes a lack of melatonin, a hormone that induces sleep, and causes disruption of circadian rhythm, making you vulnerable to bipolar disorder and depression. Therefore, it is recommended to have a certain amount of time to bask in the sun a day, especially in winter when sunlight is scarce, it is recommended to bask in the sun during the daytime when sunlight is abundant.
3. Maintain a healthy diet
In order to manage bipolar disorder and prevent symptoms from worsening, it is recommended to maintain a diet that includes a variety of foods rich in various vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. On the other hand, processed foods and carbonated drinks containing too much sugar help to temporarily change mood and relieve stress, but these effects are only temporary and it is recommended to control intake because excessive intake can have the opposite effect. In particular, it is necessary to limit the habit of overeating if you have bipolar symptoms. In addition, the habit of drinking alcohol to relieve depression not only aggravates the symptoms of bipolar disorder, but also causes another problem called alcoholism.
