Manic depression. Manic-depressive psychosis: treatment, symptoms, causes

Mental illnesses are manifested in strong excitement, or the appearance of a moral disorder. People with this kind of illness are in complete detachment from reality, and are trying to break through the limitations. The concept of manic depression combines two components. This is a sharp change in mood phases, and a quick restructuring into various states. The concept of mania describes arousal and high spirits in a person. Feelings are replaced by internal instability, and create the basis for the development of depression and anxiety. Avoiding the consequences by timely contacting a doctor will allow you to carefully study the causes of this disease.

What are the triggers for manic depression?

Psychiatric research does not fully explain what causes this type of disorder. Most experts believe that genetic predisposition - stress and sudden changes in a person's life - has an impact. Approximate links between the causes of manic depression:

Chemical changes in the brain.
Sudden mood swings.
Negative situations that cause anger and rage in a person.
Nervous breakdowns.
Constant feeling of danger for yourself and loved ones.
Growing sense of risk.
Lack of correct perception of the opinions of others.
Poor operation of the motor complex.
The presence of other diseases associated with the human autonomic system.

Examinations are carried out regularly. This is due to the search for questions - how to avoid the first attack, and prevent a similar condition in the future. First of all, you should contact such doctors as a neurologist, psychiatrist, or psychologist.

How does manic depression manifest itself?

A characteristic feature of manic depression is a rapid change in mood in a chaotic sequence. In other words, there is no specificity in the actions and thoughts of the patient. There is a situation when depression does not always come after mania. A person experiences one attack, but then changes mood in another direction. A change in the phase of a person's state is observed immediately or after a certain period of time. The severity of manic depression is manifested in conditions such as:

The maximum degree of optimism, joy and excitement.
Change of a happy image into an irritable and angry image.
Hyperreactivity.
A quick conversation with the interlocutor, and the inability to capture the essence of the conversation.
Increased energy and reduced need for sleep.
Sexual arousal.
Striving for victories and accomplishment of difficult tasks.
High impulsivity.
Nervous judgments, jumping from one extreme to another.

Bipolar disorder includes psychopathic seizures - seeing things that do not exist or that the person has psychic abilities. Features of symptoms that include manic depression:

Sadness.
Malaise.
Hopelessness.
Indifference.
Constant crying, and an attempt to arouse pity in the surrounding people.
Difficulties in making decisions.
Lack of sleep.
Irritation to reality.
Thoughts of suicide.

Manic depression is a dangerous manifestation of mental and negative actions that negatively affect those around you.

Who gets manic depression most often?

Statistics show that the disease can affect people under the age of 35. Here, there is a sharp transition from a normal state to an excited mood, and vice versa. There are several groups of people who are prone to the formation of a complex degree of the disease:

Young children between the ages of 6 and 11 may be in a situation where the disease is in its early stages. If not treated in time, the disorder will reach the stage of manic acute depression.
The second category prone to "mania" is women, the sensitivity of the weaker sex allows the disease to develop at a high speed. Girls are more prone to manic depression, this is often due to a passive mood and laziness - even washing off hair dye at home is sometimes very difficult for them. Another influential factor is hormonal failure, which is caused by taking antidepressants in large quantities.
Men are the least affected by bipolar disorder, but if the disease occurs, it is due to drug or alcohol addiction.

Manic depression can occur in people who have an affective disorder or who have post-traumatic stress disorder.

How is manic depression diagnosed?

It is impossible to check whether a person is sick or not without a preliminary examination. This means that it is necessary to go to the hospital if symptoms of manic depression are observed - a sharp change in mood, restlessness and inability to adequately perceive information. Basic human actions:

Contacting a doctor (in the event that suspicions are confirmed by certain signs). As a rule, you can monitor your behavior with the help of friends or relatives who will fix shortcomings in mood and physical condition.
Delivery of the necessary tests to check the mental and physical condition of the alleged patient.

The initial stage of bipolar disorder involves treating the patient with special medications and conducting psychotherapy sessions.

What are the most common types of bipolar disorder?

Manic depression includes several types. Classification depends on the degree of the disease:

The disorder of the first group is characterized by high or mixed changes. Mania lasts up to 7 days.
Depression of the second category consists of an underestimation of mood changes, and does not involve strong arousal during attacks.
Cyclothymic disease includes the occurrence of low and high mood swings, which are accompanied by mild and loyal changes.

The disease categories provide the correct course of treatment in the future. The study of the features of the disorder can enhance the therapeutic effect, and prevent the occurrence of acute bipolar disorders. Severe cases of manic depression appear in two positions:

Numbness is characterized by indifference, and a lack of understanding of what is happening in reality.
Loss of control over behavior. This condition is manifested in a sharp excitement and nervousness. A person does not feel a sense of boundaries, rushes about, and refuses the help of loved ones.

The onset of loss of control requires immediate hospitalization of the patient, and the appointment of a treatment course.

What are the symptoms of the phases of bipolar disorder?

What is manic depression? The effect of mental illness is accompanied by a change in mood. There are specific stages for each component of manic depression. The phase of mania differs from depressive psychosis in motor factors (abruptness, non-stop movement, a feeling of some euphoria). The manic phase proceeds in stages:

Hypomanic syndrome includes spiritual uplift and mental alertness.
The pronounced mania is caused by the discovery of nervousness.
Manic frenzy is accompanied by a maximum degree of irritation.
Motor sedation is due to reduction signs of excitation.
The reactive stage provides for the stabilization of all the prerequisites for mania.

Another root of problematic well-being is the depressive phase. Basic moments:

Depressed mood, and decreased mental and physical work.
Depression increases, including inhibition of the motor system and mental deviations from the norm.
The pronounced stage of the disorder combines all the symptoms into one whole.
Persistence of asthenia or hyperthermia, each of the situations is manifested by characteristic signs - drowsiness or increased motor activity.

What medications are available to treat manic depression?

Forms of treatment for manic depression are presented as medications. Medicines are relevant for people with the initial stage of the disorder, and patients who are in a state of strong feelings.

Lithium - used to stabilize mood, and normalize human behavioral changes. The drug reduces the symptoms of mania, but requires regular use. The recovery period usually lasts from two weeks to several months. Doctors recommend adhering to safety rules, as the drug has side effects:

Weight set.
Malaise.
Vomit.
Frequent urination.

The medicine greatly affects the functioning of the thyroid gland and kidneys, while taking it, medical supervision is required. If symptoms of an overdose of lithium appear during the course, you should go to the hospital. Main reasons:

Violation of vision.
Arrhythmia.
Presence of convulsions.
Difficulty with breathing.

The next option is depakote. The drug prevents seizures, and is used during the treatment of bipolar disorder. Drug overdose includes side effects:

Indifference.
Diarrhea.
Spasms.
Body weight gain.
Slight trembling in the hands.

Patients with manic depression usually take more than one type of medication. The process is due to the restoration of feelings and stabilization of mood. The treatment course should include drugs that exclude mania and antidepressants. Separately allocate: Aminazine, Pipolfen, Tizercin, Haloperidol, Amitriptyline and Finlepsin. Important: practice shows that the combination of two different drugs will create the conditions for a quick recovery.

What are the consequences after the course of treatment

Timely treatment prevents new symptoms of bipolar disorder. But, in severe cases, when the patient suffers from alcohol and drug addiction, a course of repeated rehabilitation is necessary. The results of "undertreatment" can be:

Change in appetite.
Violation of the musculoskeletal system.
Insomnia.
Withdrawal from society.
Dangerous human behavior.
Putting forward ridiculous ideas about life values.
Conversations about death.
Increased sensitivity.

It should be remembered that patients with manic depression, even after recovery, are in a less protected state. What do doctors recommend? How to prevent the onset of bipolar disorder? The method includes help and support from others. Simple techniques for calming and stabilizing mood:

Lifestyle change.
Healthy food.
Carrying out technical relaxation.
Acceptance of water procedures.
Exclusion of the negative model of thinking.

Psychological and physical actions of a person depend on external factors, so you should surround yourself with only positive values as much as possible. More communication, joyful meetings and complex rest will help to avoid bipolar disorder.

This mental illness is known to the broad masses of people under different names. We are talking about manic depression, which has recently become more common.

The commonly used term "manic depression" refers to bipolar affective disorder and manic-depressive states, accompanied by a complex of symptoms with clearly defined, alternating phases of mania and depression.

This condition is accompanied by increased emotional lability (unstable mood).

Manic depression. What it is?

This is an endogenous (based on hereditary predisposition) mental illness that manifests itself in such phases (states):

Manic.
Depressive.
Mixed.

In this disease, the patient undergoes a sharp change of phases. A mixed state is characterized by a combination of different symptoms of this disorder. There are a variety of options for this phase.

Manic-depressive disorder often takes severe and pronounced forms. It requires mandatory professional therapy or correction.

Who suffers

Until today, there is no common understanding of the boundaries and definitions of this type of mental disorder in psychiatry. This is due to its pathogenic, clinical, nosological heterogeneity (heterogeneity).

Problems in accurately assessing the prevalence of manic depression are due to the variety of its criteria. So, according to one estimate, the proportion of sick people is about 7%. With a more conservative approach, the figures are 0.5-0.8%, which is 5-8 patients per 1000.

The first signs of such conditions are typical for young people. At the age of 25-44, about 46% of patients suffer from this disease. After age 55, bipolar disorder occurs in 20% of cases.

This disease is more common in women. At the same time, depressive forms are more characteristic of them.

Very often, patients with MD (about 75% of cases) also suffer from other mental disorders. This disease is clearly differentiated (distinguished) from schizophrenia. Unlike the latter, manic depression of any severity practically does not lead to personality degradation.

A person suffering from bipolar disorder most often realizes that something is happening to him and goes to the doctor.

Bipolar disorder in children

This disease in childhood is much less common than, for example, schizophrenia. In this case, most often there are no all the manifestations that line up in a typical picture of manic and depressive attacks.

Manic depression in children over the age of 10 is quite common. It is the most pronounced. In practice, typical cases were noted even in children of 3-4 years of age.

One of the main features of bipolar disorder in children is more frequent seizures than in adults. They are reactive. Experts note that the smaller the child, the higher the likelihood of a manic, rather than a depressive nature of bipolar disorder.

Symptoms

Manic depression is a disease in which a person has a depressive-anxiety state. Most of the time, anxiety is unfounded.

This disease can be easily distinguished from melancholia. Patients withdraw into themselves, speak little, and are extremely reluctant to talk with a doctor. A person with a symptom of anxiety cannot tolerate long pauses.

Patients also show various health problems. They manifest as lack of appetite, bradycardia, constipation, weight loss, chronic insomnia. Such people often generate delusional ideas and express suicidal thoughts.

The patient is identified by a shifty look, constantly moving hands. At the same time, he constantly corrects or pulls something. His posture changes frequently.

Severe cases appear in 2 stages:

Loss of control.
Numb.

In these cases, you need to call an ambulance and hospitalize the patient in a special medical facility. In this state, a person is capable of terrible deeds.

Phases

In bipolar disorder, affective states, called phases, alternate periodically. Distinguish between them and "bright" periods of mental health. They are called intermissions. At this time, even after a long illness and many different phases, the mental functions of a person practically do not decrease.

During the period of intermission, personal qualities and the human psyche completely restore normal functioning.

The manic phase of bipolar disorder is characterized by the following features:

too excited mood;
talkativeness;
high self-esteem;
a state of euphoria;
motor excitement;
irritability, aggression.

The manic phase is replaced by a depressive phase, which is characterized by:

a state of melancholy, sadness, apathy;
anxiety, anxiety;
feeling of hopelessness, emptiness;
loss of interest in favorite activities;
guilt;
lack of concentration and energy;
intellectual and physical retardation.

If a person has several signs of a manic-depressive symptom complex, it is necessary to immediately contact a psychotherapist, psychologist or psychiatrist. Without the necessary drug treatment and psychocorrection, the patient may develop severe forms of this disease.

Treatment

With bipolar disorder, treatment of the patient is required. It should be carried out by an experienced specialist, since cases of remission of this disease are not uncommon.

As a rule, MD therapy is carried out in stages. At the same time, the following are carried out:

Medical treatment with special preparations, selected individually. In case of lethargy, agents that stimulate activity are prescribed, and in case of excitement, they calm the nervous system.
Electroconvulsive therapy in combination with special diets and therapeutic fasting.
Psychic correction.

Forecast

Provided that the patient has only a manic-depressive syndrome without concomitant diseases, the patient responds well to therapy. After a short time, he can return to his normal life.

The most effective treatment is when a person contacts a specialist after identifying the first signs of bipolar disorder.

Advanced forms of this disease can lead to irreversible personality changes. In this case, the therapy will be very long and often ineffective.

Manic depression is not a "sentence" for a person. Timely treatment can return the patient to normal life in the vast majority of cases.

Video: How to identify depression

Pathologies of a person's mental state can be associated with the degradation of his personal characteristics or with the preservation of all basic parameters. In the second case, the disorders are less acute, and the ability to fully restore the psyche over a certain period of time is preserved. Such diseases with a "temporary" course include manic-depressive psychosis.

It manifests itself in the form of cyclic mood swings: periods of violent (manic) activity are replaced by recessions in the form of depression and depression. In time, these cycles can be separated by months and years of normal functioning of the mental sphere of brain activity. At the same time, no symptoms of manic-depressive syndrome appear.

In the vast majority of cases, it is diagnosed in women of middle and advanced age. The initial complex of clinical manifestations may occur against the background of a midlife crisis or hormonal changes in the body in the menopause. Both social and personal factors can influence.

The main provocative factor on which all other causes of manic-depressive psychosis are based is negative genetic heredity. As a rule, in the family there are several recorded cases of the disease in people belonging to different generations. But there is a practice of observations in which a clear connection may not be observed. This occurs in cases where in older women all manifestations are attributed to gerontological personality changes, quarrelsome character.

The transmission of the defective gene occurs after 1 generation. Thus, in one family, a grandmother and her granddaughter may suffer from clinical signs of manic-depressive psychosis at the same time.

The causes of manic-depressive psychosis are imposed on heredity, which would rather be called triggers:

changes in the endocrine system of the body (nodular goiter, thyroid dysplasia, adrenal dysfunction, Graves' disease);
disruption of the hypothalamus and analytical fragmentary center of the brain;
menopausal hormonal changes;
painful menstruation;
postpartum and prenatal depression.

Among social and personal factors, it can be noted that persons who are prone to the appearance of signs of manic-depressive psychosis are:

suffer from a sense of their own inferiority (this also includes various complexes);
cannot realize their inclinations and abilities;
they do not know how to get in touch with other people and build full-fledged relationships;
do not have a stable income and sufficient material support;
received serious psychological trauma as a result of divorce, breakup, betrayal, betrayal.

There are other causes of manic-depressive syndrome. They can be associated with head injuries, organic lesions of brain structures against the background of strokes and cerebrovascular accidents, meningitis.

Depressive-manic psychosis and its classification

To assign the correct compensatory therapy to a psychiatrist, it is important to correctly classify depressive-manic psychosis according to the degree of manifestation of its clinical symptoms.

For this, a standard scale is used, according to which 2 degrees are distinguished:

the absence of pronounced signs is called cyclophrenia;
a detailed clinical picture with severe manifestations is called cyclothymia.

Cyclophrenia is much more common and can be latent for a long period of time. These patients have frequent mood swings for no apparent reason. Under the influence of a stress factor, a person can plunge into the primary phase of depression, which will gradually turn into a manic cycle with intense emotional arousal and a burst of energy and physical activity.

Symptoms of manic-depressive psychosis

The clinical symptoms of manic-depressive psychosis depend on the degree of damage to the mnestic sphere of a person. With cyclophrenia, the signs of manic-depressive psychosis are weak and differ in the latent course of the disease. Very often, in middle-aged women, they disguise themselves as premenstrual syndrome, in which a woman develops irritability, mood swings, impulsiveness, and a tendency to tantrums in the period before menstruation.

In old age, the symptoms of depressive-manic psychosis in the form of cyclophrenia can be hidden behind a feeling of loneliness, depression, and impaired social contact.

There is a seasonal link: afferent disorders appear cyclically at the same time every year. Typically, the crisis periods are deep autumn and early spring. Prolonged forms are diagnosed, in which depressive-manic psychosis shows signs throughout the winter, from late autumn to mid-spring.

Patients may present with:

general mental lethargy, which after a few days can be replaced by pronounced excitement and joyful mood;
refusal to communicate, with a sharp change in mood towards obsessive pestering other people with conversations;
speech disorders;
immersion in one's own experiences;
the expression of fantastic ideas.

Clinical forms of cyclophrenic manic-depressive psychosis are common, in which a long-term phase of depression is distinguished with bursts of manic behavior. Upon exiting this state, a complete recovery is observed.

More pronounced are the symptoms of depressive-manic syndrome in cyclothymic form. Here, in addition to mental disorders, somatic and autonomic symptoms of manic-depressive psychosis may occur.

Among them are:

a tendency to search for various "deadly" diseases against the background of depression;
ignoring the clinical signs of a somatic disease against the background of a manic phase;
psychogenic pain syndromes;
disorders of the digestive process: lack or increase in appetite, tendency to constipation and diarrhea;
tendency to insomnia or constant drowsiness;
cardiac arrhythmias.

The appearance of a patient suffering from signs of manic-depressive psychosis in the stage of depression is quite characteristic. These are lowered shoulders, a dreary and sad look, the absence of movements of the facial muscles of the facial zone, self-absorption (the patient does not immediately answer the question asked of him, does not perceive the appeal to him). When the phase changes to the manic stage, an unhealthy gleam in the eyes appears, the patient is agitated, he has constant physical activity. Joy and aspiration to "exploits" are imprinted on the face. To simple questions that require a monosyllabic answer, the patient begins to give out whole theories and lengthy reasoning.

Manic-depressive psychosis can last a few days, or it can haunt a person for years and decades.

Treatment of manic-depressive psychosis

Pharmacological treatment of manic-depressive psychosis is required in patients with cyclothymia. With cyclophrenia, a change in lifestyle, active physical education, and attendance at psychotherapy sessions are recommended.

With the severity of symptoms of depression, antidepressants are prescribed: azafen, melipramine, noveril or amitriptyline. Sidnocarb and mesocarb can be used for a long time. Treatment always begins with the use of large dosages, which are gradually reduced to a maintenance level. Only a psychiatrist can calculate the dosage based on the data obtained from the history, height, weight, sex and age of the patient.

Alternative therapies include:

extreme physical activity in the form of food deprivation, the possibility of sleep and heavy physical labor;
electroshock methods of influence;
electrosleep;
acupuncture and reflexology.

At the stage of excitation, the treatment of manic-depressive psychosis is reduced to the suppression of excessive mental activity. Haloperidol, tizercin, chlorpromazine may be prescribed. These drugs should not be used without constant supervision by the attending physician.

The human brain is a complex mechanism that is difficult to study. The root of psychological deviations and psychosis lies deep in the subconscious of a person, destroys life and interferes with functioning. Manic-depressive psychosis is inherently dangerous not only for the patient, but also for the people around him, so you should immediately contact a specialist.

Manic depressive disorder, or bipolar personality disorder as it is also known, is a mental illness that manifests itself as a constant change in behavior from unreasonably agitated to complete depression.

Reasons for TIR

No one knows exactly the origins of this disease - it was known in ancient Rome, but the doctors of that time clearly separated manic psychosis and depression, and only with the development of medicine it was proved that these were stages of one disease.

Manic-depressive psychosis (MDP) is a severe mental illness

It may appear due to:

transferred stress;
pregnancy and menopause;
disruption of the brain due to a tumor, injury, chemical exposure;
the presence of this psychosis or other affective disorder in one of the parents (it has been scientifically proven that the disease can be inherited).

Due to the instability of the psyche, women are more susceptible to psychosis. There are also two peaks in which a manic disorder can occur: menopause and 20-30 years. Manic-depressive psychosis has a pronounced seasonal pattern, as exacerbations most often occur in autumn and spring.

Manic-depressive psychosis: symptoms and signs

MDP expresses itself in two main stages, which appear for a certain period of time and replace each other. They are:

Manic-depressive psychosis and its varieties

Bipolar personality disorder is sometimes understood as a synonym for MDP, but in reality it is just one of the varieties of general psychosis.

The usual course of the disease involves the following stages:

manic;
intermission (when a person returns to his usual behavior);
depressive.

The patient may be missing one of the stages, which is called unipolar disorder. In this case, the same stage may alternate several times, changing only occasionally. There is also a dual psychosis, when the manic phase immediately turns into a depressive one without an intermediate intermission. Changes should be monitored by a physician who will recommend the appropriate treatment appropriate for the person's particular condition.

The disease can manifest itself in a manic and depressive form.

The difference between manic-depressive syndrome and other diseases

Inexperienced doctors, as well as loved ones, may confuse MDP with ordinary depression. This is usually due to a short observation of the patient and quick conclusions. One stage can last up to a year, and most people rush into treatment for depression.

It is worth knowing that in addition to a breakdown and lack of desire to live, TIR patients also experience physical changes:

A person has inhibited and slow thinking, an almost complete absence of speech. It is not a matter of wanting to be alone - during this stage, the weakness can be so strong that it is difficult for a person to move his tongue. Sometimes this condition turns into complete paralysis. At this moment, the patient especially needs help.
During a manic period, people often report dry mouth, insomnia or extremely short sleep, fast thinking, shallow judgment, and an unwillingness to think about problems.

Dangers of manic-depressive psychosis

Any psychosis, no matter how small or insignificant it is, is fundamentally capable of changing the life of the patient and his loved ones. In the depressive stage, a person is able to:

The mechanism of the development of the disease is explained by the result of neuropsychic breakdowns with the formation of foci in the cerebral cortex

commit suicide;
to die of hunger;
get bedsores;
drop out of society.

While in the manic stage, the patient may:

commit a rash act, up to murder, since causal relationships are violated in him;
endanger your own or others' lives;
start promiscuous sex.

Diagnosis of TIR

It often happens that the patient is diagnosed incorrectly, which complicates the treatment, so the patient must undergo a full set of studies and analyzes - x-rays, MRI of the brain and electroencephalography.

At the time of diagnosis, a complete picture is needed in order to exclude other mental disorders, infections and injuries.

Treatment of manic-depressive psychosis

The doctor usually prescribes a hospital stay. So it is much easier to track the change of stages, identify patterns and help the patient in case of suicide or other unjustified actions.

With dominance in the status of lethargy, antidepressants with analeptic properties are selected

Often prescribed:

antipsychotics with a sedative effect in the manic period;
antidepressants at the time of the depressive stage;
Lithium therapy in the manic stage;
electroconvulsive therapy with a protracted form.

In moments of activity, a manic syndrome patient is able to harm himself because of self-confidence, as well as endanger other people, so conversations with a psychologist who can calm the patient are very important.

Also at the time of depression - a person needs constant care, since he has no appetite, he is taciturn and often motionless.

How to live with manic-depressive psychosis?

3-5% of people admitted to a hospital are diagnosed with TIR. With high-quality treatment of both stages, constant prevention and conversations with a psychiatrist, it is possible to live a normal and ordinary life. Unfortunately, few people think about recovery and make plans for life, so next to such a person there should always be close people who can, in the event of an exacerbation, forcibly put the patient on treatment and support him in every possible way.

Why Treat Manic-Depressive Psychosis?

Many people diagnosed with TIR pour themselves into creativity. For example, the famous impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh was also a hostage to this disease, while remaining a talented person, albeit incapable of socialization. The life path of this artist can serve as a good example for people who do not want to go to the hospital or solve the problem. Despite his talent and boundless imagination, the great impressionist committed suicide during one of the depressive stages. Due to problems with socialization and people, Vincent never sold a single painting in his entire life, but gained fame quite by accident, thanks to people who knew him.

Bipolar disorder, also known in the past as manic depression, is a mental illness that causes the sufferer to experience extreme mood swings, from depressed to overly agitated. People with this disease, feeling happy and joyful, abruptly fall into an excessive feeling of sadness and depression, and vice versa. Because manic depression is characterized by abrupt changes in mood phases - or mood polarity - it is called bipolar disorder, or bipolar disorder. Between bouts of mood swings, the patient may be in a normal state and mood.

The word "mania" describes the state of the patient when he is in an overly elevated and agitated mood and feels self-confident. These feelings quickly develop into distraction, irritability, anger and even anger. The word "depression" describes the state of depression and sadness of the patient. Because the symptoms are similar, patients are sometimes misdiagnosed with acute depression.

In most patients, attacks of the depressive phase occur much more often than mania.

ICD-10 code

F30 Manic Episode

F30.8 Other manic episodes

F30.9 Manic episode, unspecified

Who is most likely to get manic depression?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 2 million people in the United States suffer from a disorder such as manic depression. It usually starts at a young age, before the age of 35. If children get sick, then it will proceed in a more complex form and together with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Some studies have shown that manic depression is hereditary, due to its frequent occurrence within the same family.

This disease affects both men and women equally, but women suffer from more frequent episodes of mood swings - that is, bipolar disorder of a cyclical nature. This course of the disease may be due to the fact that women have more frequent changes in hormone levels, impaired thyroid function, and they are more often prescribed antidepressants. Women are also more prone to frequent bouts of depression than mania.

As a result of research, it was found that about 60% of patients with bipolar disorder also suffer from alcohol or drug addiction. In addition, studies have shown that manic depression most often occurs in people with seasonal affective disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder.

What causes manic depression?

It is impossible to say exactly what caused depression or bipolar disorder, but causes include genetic predisposition, changes in brain chemistry, or the environment, such as stress or life changes. More and more research is being done to establish the relationship between these causes and the onset of bipolar disorder, how one can avoid its first attack, and what role these causes play in treatment.

How does manic depression manifest itself?

Manic depression is characterized by mood phases that do not follow a specific order, and depression does not always follow mania. The patient may experience an attack of one phase several times in a row, when suddenly he develops an attack of the opposite mood phase. Changes in the mood phase can occur at intervals of weeks, months, or even years.

The severity of an attack of depression or mania in each case is strictly individual.

Symptoms of mania include:

Excessive feelings of happiness, optimism and excitement.
Sudden change of joyful state to irritability, anger and hostility.
Restlessness.
Rapid speech and inability to concentrate.
Increased energy and reduced need for sleep.
Increasing sexual desire.
Tendency to draw up grandiose plans and impossible tasks.
A tendency to make poor judgments, such as the decision to quit a new job.
Abuse of alcohol or drugs.
Increased impulsivity.

Manic depression is also characterized by psychopathic attacks, for example, people see or hear things that do not exist, believe in them and it is impossible to convince them otherwise. In some cases, they believe that they have supernatural abilities and powers, or consider themselves God-like.

Symptoms of depression include:

Sadness.
Prostration.
Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.
Complete indifference to once favorite activities.
Inability to concentrate.
Increased tearfulness.
It's hard to make a decision.
Irritability.
Increased need for sleep.
Insomnia.
Change in appetite causing weight gain or loss.
Thoughts of suicide.
Suicide attempts.

How is manic depression diagnosed?

Manic depression is accurately diagnosed only when the symptoms of the disease, the complexity of their manifestation, their duration and frequency are monitored. The most common symptoms include a sharp change in mood, which always happens in different ways. Keeping a diary of your symptoms with your family and friends can help your doctor make an accurate diagnosis and distinguish acute depression from bipolar disorder.

If you or someone close to you has manic depression, it is best to seek help from your family doctor or psychiatrist. He, in turn, will give you a referral to the appropriate specialist.

At the time of diagnosis, the doctor must conduct a thorough medical examination. The doctor will ask about mental illnesses in your family. If the patient experiences four or more episodes of mood swings per year, it will be more difficult for him to recover. Medications will be the main treatment for bipolar disorder, but attending psychotherapy sessions at the same time will help the patient avoid future attacks.

How is manic depression treated?

There are a large number of medications used in the treatment of manic depression, including lithium and depakote.

Lithium

Lithium is a mood stabilizing agent and the most commonly prescribed medication for the treatment of bipolar disorder. It is effective in treating mood swings from mania to depression and vice versa. Lithium is able to relieve the symptoms of mania as early as two weeks after the start of its use, but it may take several weeks or months for the patient to fully control the situation. Therefore, for a faster effect, it is possible to use drugs such as antipsychotics or antidepressants.

Side effects of lithium:

Frequent urination
Gaining weight
Minor hand tremor
Nausea

Lithium has the ability to affect the functioning of the kidneys and thyroid gland, so while taking it, the doctor will monitor your health and monitor the level of lithium in the blood. Any factor that affects sodium levels in the blood, such as a low-salt diet, increased sweating, fever, vomiting, or diarrhea, can cause lithium levels to rise in the blood. Be careful with lithium and as soon as you develop symptoms of the conditions described above, see your doctor.

Below we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the symptoms of a lithium overdose and advise you to immediately consult a doctor if:

Impaired vision
Arrhythmic pulse heard
Heartbeat is too fast or too slow
It became difficult to breathe
There was absent-mindedness
There were convulsions
Dizziness
severe trembling
Increased urination
Uncontrolled eye movement
The eyes began to double
Bruising and bleeding for no apparent reason

Depakote

Depakote is an anticonvulsant that is also used in the treatment of manic attacks. It is highly effective in the treatment of cyclic bipolar disorder. This drug has a number of side effects, including inflammation of the liver and decreased levels of platelets in the blood (blood cells responsible for blood clotting), so you will need to be monitored by a doctor while taking it.