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  • What We Treat
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    • Addiction Guide
      • Adderall Guide | Side Effects
      • Alcohol Addiction
      • Benzodiazepines
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      • Meth Guide
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    • Bipolar Disorder
      • Bipolar Disorder: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment
      • Is bipolar disorder genetic and triggered later on?
      • Is cognitive therapy effective for bipolar disorder?
    • Children & Adolescents Guide
      • 10 Warning Signs of Teenage Mental Illness
      • Munchausen Syndrome
      • How Does Social Media Affect Teenagers’ Mental Health?
      • Oppositional Defiant Disorder
      • Spotting Types of Depression in Children
      • Teen Suicide
      • Top Tips For Parents
      • Video Game Therapy for ADHD
      • What is a Residential Mental Health Facility for Teenagers Like
      • Why Is Mental Health on the Rise Amongst Teenagers?
    • Is Social Media Ruining Our Self-Esteem? 
    • Mental Health Guide
      • COVID Counseling to Battle Mental Health Issues
      • Guide to Anxiety Medication
      • Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
      • High Functioning Depression | Signs | Symptoms
      • How Can We Prevent Mental Illness in Youth?
      • How Do You Help Someone with Avoidant Personality?
      • How Does Online Counseling Work for Mental Health?
      • How Can a Mental Health Counselor Help
      • Mental Breakdown
      • Schizoid Personality Disorder
      • Postpartum Depression
      • Types of Mood Disorders
      • The Toll of Grief and How to Cope with It
      • What are The Major Affective Disorders?
      • What Cognitive Psychology Teaches Us About How We Think
      • What Is Clinical Mental Health Counseling
      • What are mental health symptoms you should never ignore?
      • What is Bipolar II Disorder? Symptoms and Treatment
      • What is the Difference Between Manic and Hypomanic?
      • What is schizoaffective disorder?
      • Is seasonal affective disorder (SAD) a mental illness?
      • What is substance induced mood disorder?
      • Is Depression a Permanent Mental Disorder?
      • What is the prognosis for Major Depressive Disorder?
    • Marriage Counseling | Benefits
    • Pandemic Related Issues
      • COVID Counseling to Battle Mental Health Issues
      • Work Stress Post-Pandemic
      • Shocking Growth of Anxiety During the Pandemic
    • Relationship Issues
      • How to deal with toxic relationship?
      • How does a toxic relationship affect your mental health?
      • What is gaslighting in a relationship?
      • What is the best way to help a partner who has trust issues?
      • What’s the best way to work out relationship problems?
      • 10 ways to improve communication in relationships
    • Spirituality in Addiction Treatment  
    • Therapy
      • Can I See a Psychiatrist Without a Referral?
      • DBT Therapy for Adolescents
      • DCBT- Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
      • Deep Brain Stimulation to Treat OCD
      • Do I Need a Referral to See a Therapist?
      • Family Therapy: Definition, Types, Techniques, and Efficacy
      • How Can Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) Help Mental Disorders?
      • EMDR Therapy for Mental Health Conditions
      • Psychiatrist vs. Psychologist
      • Is Therapy Covered by Health Insurance?
      • Psychodynamic Therapy vs CBT
      • Psychotherapy
      • SMART Recovery
      • What Can Psychologists Treat
      • What is Group Therapy
      • What is Internal Family Systems Therapy
      • What Is the Role of the Counselor in Family Therapy
      • What Is Psychoanalysis
    • Trauma Bonding With Intimate Partner Violence
    • Teen Mental Health
      • Can a Minor Go to Therapy Without Parents Permission?
      • Teen Co-Occurring Disorders
      • What are the signs of depression in adolescents?
      • warning signs of suicide in adolescents
      • Mental Health Benefits of Exercise in Teens
      • How is the pandemic affecting mental health in teenagers?
    • Types of Disorder
      • Anti-Social Personality Disorder
      • Autism Spectrum Disorder
      • Avoidant Personality Disorder
      • Bipolar Disorder Symptoms | Causes | Diagnosis
      • Diagnosing and Treating an Adjustment Disorder
      • Histrionic Personality Disorder
      • Intermittent Explosive Disorder
      • Paranoid Personality Disorder
    • Veterans Guide
      • Functional Medicine for Military
      • Service Dogs Help Veterans with PTSD
    • Process Addiction
      • Gambling addiction
      • How do you know if you have an addictive personality?
      • What is Impulse-Control Disorder?
      • Process Addiction

Bipolar Disorder

Disrupted Biochemical Pathway

New research on biochemical pathways has discovered that disruptions to a particular protein called Akt can lead to brain changes characteristic of bipolar disorder. Could the enduring riddles surrounding bipolar disorder finally be resolved?

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder, also called manic depression or bipolar affective disorder, is a mental health condition characterized by mood swings.

People who have bipolar affective disorder often experience periods of extreme highs (mania) alternating with periods of extreme lows (depression).

Types of Bipolar Disorder

There are three common types of bipolar disorder:

Bipolar I Disorder

This type of bipolar disorder is characterized by at least one manic episode. Patients with Bipolar I Disorder also suffer from episodes of depression.

Bipolar II Disorder

People with this type experience both hypomanic and depressive episodes, but never a full-blown manic episode that is typical of Bipolar I Disorder.

Cyclothymic Disorder

This type is characterized by at least two years (or one year in children and teens) of hypomania and depressive symptoms periods.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder

Cognitive Symptoms

  • Hallucinations
  • Delusions (false beliefs)
  • Poor attention span
  • Inflated self-esteem
  • Forgetfulness

Behavioral Symptoms

  • Impulsive behavior
  • Aggression
  • Severe irritability
  • Hyperactivity
  • Extreme sadness

Physical Symptoms

  • Fatigue
  • Weight gain
  • Stomach aches and pains
  • Increased heart rate
  • Changes in sex drive
  • Muscular aches and pains

Causes and Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder ICD-10

ICD-10 is an internationally used diagnostic tool created by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, and it includes a chapter on mental disorders. General practitioners may use ICD-10 as a screening tool to assess bipolar disorder in symptomatic patients.

Bipolar disorder DSM-5

DSM-5 is the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It is the standard classification of mental disorders used by clinicians, researchers, and public health officials in the United States. A patient’s symptoms must fit the criteria outlined in the DSM-5 to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. According to the criteria, a person must experience at least one episode of mania or hypomania.

Is Bipolar Disorder Genetic?

Known Causes

Although the exact cause of bipolar disorder is unknown, research suggests that it is a combination of factors:

Genes

Bipolar disorder is common in people who have a member in the family who suffers from the same condition.

Chemical imbalance in the brain

Imbalances of neurotransmitters in the brain, including noradrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine, are also believed to be one cause of bipolar disorder.1

Known Risk Factors

Bipolar affective disorder may be triggered by:2

  • Relationship issues
  • Abuse (physical, emotional, or sexual)
  • Death of a close family member or loved one
  • Physical illness
  • Other traumatic events

New Research on Biochemical Pathway

University of Wisconsin-Madison Study

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have found that disruptions to a specific protein called Akt can cause the brain changes that are typical of bipolar disorder.3

This finding has significant implications for the future of research into bipolar disorder, as it means that researchers can search for drugs to target this protein and correct its disruption.

Akt Protein

Akt protein plays a critical role in the brain. It is a type of protein called kinase, which adds tags of molecule phosphates onto other proteins. These phosphate tags can change how other proteins work, ultimately influencing vital functions.

Brain Changes Characteristic of Bipolar Disorder

Brain Activity

Researchers have found that men with bipolar disorder have reduced activity of the Akt-mTOR pathway in certain regions. This loss of Akt pathway function may be contributing significantly to cognitive impairment among those living with bipolar disorder.

What Region of the Brain is Affected?

According to the University of Wisconsin–Madison study, people with bipolar disorder have reduced activity of the Akt-mTOR pathway in certain regions of the brain necessary for attention and memory.

Treating Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder Symptoms | Causes | Diagnosis | PacificBeachHealth

Medications

Medications are part of bipolar disorder treatment. Patients with bipolar disorder are often prescribed mood stabilizers such as lithium. Antipsychotic medications are also used to help control symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, and agitation. In some cases, a patient with bipolar disorder may also take antidepressants or other types of medication for anxiety disorders.

CBT

CBT therapy has proven to be effective in treatment, improving depressive symptoms, mania severity, and psychosocial functioning in patients with bipolar disorder.4 CBT can be used in conjunction with medication as an adjunct treatment or alone when appropriate. 

Family Therapy

Family therapy is a promising new option for adults or children with bipolar disorder and their caregivers. The therapy consists primarily of information sessions about how the illness works, communication improvement training, and problem-solving skills training. It is usually given together with pharmacotherapy after an illness episode.5

Ecopsychology

Ecopsychology is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinarity field that focuses on studying the emotional bond between humans and the earth. It takes a holistic stance on the emotional connection between humans and considers its role in human behavior, health, culture, spirituality, and creativity.

Resources

  1. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/ health/publications/bipolar-disorder/#pub3
  2. https://www.nhs.uk/ mentalhealth/conditions/ bipolar-disorder/causes/
  3. https://news.wisc.edu/ disrupted-biochemical-pathway-in-the-brain-linked-to-bipolar-disorder/
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC5417606/
  5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC5922774/

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