Bipolar Disorder Type I & II

Bipolar Disorder Type I & II

Bipolar Disorder Type I

The bipolar disorder type I is a subtype of bipolar disorder - a severe mental disorder, formerly known as manic-depressive psychosis. It is characterized by periods of altered, manic, depressive or mixed mood (i.e., faster switching between mania and depression). The extreme moods often have problems in everyday life, which results in destroying the interpersonal relationships and can even lead to suicide attempts. The first manic episode is necessary for the diagnosis of bipolar disorder type I. This in turn means that the individual is supposed to have more of such manic episodes in the future, until the individual recieves proper treatment for the issue. No single cause for bipolar disorder can be found. It can be assumed that biological, psychological and social factors play a role and lead to chemical changes in the brain (Basco, Ramírez, 2005).

Symptoms

People with bipolar disorder type I may have unusually intense feelings that persist over time in each case, known as the "episode". A joyous exaggerated or overtightened condition is referred to as manic episode and is associated with increased energy and activity level. This condition is a defining feature of bipolar disorder type I. Symptoms are exaggerated self-confidence and flight of ideas, decreased need for sleep, excessive talking and a tendency to impulsive and reckless behavior. The manic episodes may be longer-term depressive episodes alternately prevailing in the presence of a depressed mood, decreased energy and activity level. In addition, there are "mixed" episodes, which occur in mania and depression on the same day and the person quickly switch between the two states (Serretti, Mandelli, 2008).

Statistics

Worldwide, more than 30 million people suffer from this disorder, which also make up 20 leading causes of disability throughout the world. Up to 2% of Europeans suffer from bipolar disorder at some point in their life and about half of them are diagnosed with bipolar disorder type I. The bipolar disorder type I is equally common in men and women and affects people from all social classes and ethnic groups. The risk of developing bipolar disorder begins in young adults and the disease is highest in at least half of the cases before the 25th year of age. People with bipolar disorder type I have a particularly high risk for the parallel occurrence of other diseases (known as comorbidity). A study ...