Manic Depression

How many times have you seen your immediate manager's mood swing from a high to low leading you to believe if he is a maniac? In all probabilities, he could be suffering from Manic Depression also known as Bipolar depression. It is known as Bipolar depression as the mood swings violently between opposite poles of a normal behavior (high and low). Manic depression or Bipolar depression is a type of depression which has gone on to impact both men and women of all ages.

How is manic depression or bipolar disorder diagnosed?

  • Manic Episode - An individual is said to have a manic episode state of manic attacks if the elevated mood occurs with couple of other symptoms throughout the day. These symptoms would need to be observed in the individual for more than 3-4 days. In cases of irritable mood, 4 additional symptoms is a must for the person to be diagnosed with this form of psychotic depression.

  • Depressive Episode - An individual is diagnosed with a depressive episode if his mood is at an all time low for most of one full week to two weeks. Typically, 5 or more symptoms are essential for an individual to be diagnosed with this bipolar disorder.

  • Mixed Bipolar episode - There have been so many cases where the individual is terribly low and sad at times and just when you think he is a depressive character, he jumps up to life and displays tremendous energy levels. Such individuals are diagnosed with Mixed Bipolar episode.

How to treat a bipolar depression symptom?

  • Medication - Mood stabilizers, a class of drug specifically used to treat manic depression symptom in individuals is recommended by physicians in these cases. Doctors also prefer prescribing anti-depressant drugs for the individuals as these drugs help in balancing the high and low mood swings.

  • Monitor the thyroid - Huge swings in the mood is often attributed to abnormal thyroid function. An individual must hence be required to keep a close watch on the functioning of his thyroid gland by regular tests to ensure that he is not a victim of irregular mood swings.

  • Spot relapses - An individual who suffers from Manic Depression is often the best one to treat it. This can be achieved by the individual spotting trends in his behavior and especially relapses which will allow him to counter the mood swings successfully.

Manic depression impacts both the individual and the care givers and the individual's family members as well. While it renders the individual unpredictable in a society, it also puts down the credibility of his family members. By following simple steps of medical therapy and self-observance, manic depression could be treated.