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Bipolar
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“Bipolar mood disorder is a nice way of saying that you will feel so high that no street drug can compete and you will feel so low that you wish you had been hit by a Mack truck instead.”
Previously known as manic depression, bipolar mood disorder (BMD) is characterized by periods of severe depression, mania/hypomania, and relative stability. Mood swings and sub-clinical symptoms may still occur during the periods of stability. The depressed and manic states are not simply normal ups and downs of life. They are extreme.
The time spent depressed generally outweighs manic periods. Manic or depressed states last from weeks (Bipolar Type I) to days (Bipolar Type II). Particularly disturbing are the co-existing presence of high and low mental states (known as mixed episodes). Cyclothymia refers to a less intense form of bipolar disorder.
Although genetic factors play a large role, 30-50% of adults diagnosed with bipolar disorder report traumatic childhood experiences. A striving for perfection and a compromised self-esteem have also been identified as factors in BMD. This points to the importance of psychotherapy in the treatment plan, especially given the positive effect of therapy on mood stabilization during a manic episode.
References
Alloy, L., Reilly-Harrington, N., Fresco, D., & Flannery-Schroeder, E. (2006). Cognitive vulnerability to bipolar spectrum disorders. In L. Alloy & J. Riskind (Eds.), Cognitive vulnerability to emotional disorders (p. 93–124). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Bentall, R., Kinderman, P., & Manson, K. (2005). Self-discrepancies in bipolar disorder: Comparison of manic, depressed, remitted and normal participants. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 44(4), 457–473.
Brietzke, E., Kauer Sant'anna, M., Jackowski, A., Grassi-Oliveira, R., Bucker, J., Zugman, A., Mansur, R., & Bressan, R. (2012). Impact of childhood stress on psychopathology. Rev Bras Psiquiatr., 34(4): 480–488.
Havens, L., Ghaemi, S., (2005). Existential despair and bipolar disorder: The therapeutic alliance as a mood stabilizer. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 59(2): 137–147.