Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition marked by shifts in mood from mania to depression. It’s associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to maniac highs.
The National Institute of Mental Health (2017) notes that, bipolar disorder isn’t a rare condition. The institute explains that in the past years, prevalence of bipolar disorder is similar in females and males (2.8% and 2.9% respectively).
A Psychiatric Clinical Officer (PCO) at Butabika Hospital explained bipolar disorder as a maniac episode is a state of mind characterized by high energy, excitement, and joy over a sustained period of time. It’s a change in mood and thoughts that can interfere with school work or home life. Some episodes can be hypomania episodes, which is a milder version of mania that typically lasts for a shorter period of time.
The source described depression as a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and a loss of interest, adding that, one may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities. In Uganda, bipolar disorder affects men more than women.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, approximately 16.1 million adults experienced at least one major depressive episode in 2015.
Medical experts have revealed that, much as it’s normal to have mood swings, a person without bipolar disorder will have an episode that will last for a few hours, while the episodes of a bipolar patient may last for days or even weeks.
Statistics by National Institute of Mental Health (2017) show that, 80–90% of individuals with bipolar disorder have relatives that suffered from it, which means that it is hereditary.
However, the PCO at Butabika said that the causes of this illness are not clear, but factors such as stress, sleep disruptions, drugs and alcohol, infections, and tough economic factors in Uganda have triggered mood episodes in patients with the disease.
According to the PCO, there are many ways in which someone can tell that a person has bipolar disorder. A patient may feel very happy or overjoyed, full of energy and proud at the same time, but are easily distracted, irritated or agitated.
According to Anna Hindell, LCSW-R, a psychotherapist based in New York, there are three types of bipolar disorder which she identified as bipolar 1, bipolar 11, and cyclothymic disorder.
Hindell noted that, a patient with bipolar 1 may have at least a major manic episode that lasts for a minimum of seven days, which can be followed by major depressive episodes typically lasting for a period of two weeks.
For Bipolar II, Hindell explained that it is characterized by a pattern of depressive and hypomanic episodes. The hypomanic episodes are more severe than those in Bipolar 1.
She said that, a patient with cyclothymic disorder is defined by recurring hypomanic and depressive episodes that are not intense and do not last long enough.
Experts have guided that it is advisable for people with bipolar disorder to visit a doctor or a mental health professional since it can’t get better on its own.
