Manic Depressive Disorder is one of the names of a mood disorder, which is called Bipolar Disorder. People with Bipolar Disorder or Manic Depressive Disorder have serious mood swings. Manic Depressive Disorder is actually an older name for the condition, which was used extensively prior to 1980, when it was renamed Bipolar Disorder. The disorder is classified in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual put out by the American Psychiatric Association.
The first Diagnostic Statistical Manual otherwise known as the DSM I was published in 1952 and it was based heavily on the military Medical 203. There is actually a forward acknowledging the military medical contribution to the DSM I. Up until the DSM III, the mood disorder was known as Manic Depressive Disorder to reflect the symptoms of mania and depression which was characteristic of the disorder. In 1980 the disorder was renamed to further elaborate the extremes of these two moods. The mood spectrum is the range of all moods than a human can experience and the two polar opposites are mania to one pole or one extreme and depression to the other.
Mania and depression are serious mood swings, which will affect a person.s moods, their behavior, and the way they think, that means it will affect everything they do in life. It will also affect the people around them. Many divorces have occurred because it was just too hard for the spouse to deal with their partner.s symptoms. Manic depressive individuals have no control over these mood swings. They can.t just will them to go away, but they can take medication which stabilizes the moods so that they can live a normal life.
Bipolar Disorder can affect people of all ages however, it is most commonly diagnosed in teenagers and young adults. Bipolar Disorder is a lifelong illness. At present there is no known cure, but there is treatment available to manage the symptoms and people can live normal lives with managed symptoms.
One percent of the population is said to have Bipolar Disorder and if you include all the subtypes it increases to about 4 percent. The disorder can affect any race or ethnic group on the planet. There is a genetic link to Bipolar Disorder. Children who have one or both parents suffering from Bipolar Disorder can develop the mood disorder as well. Also, children who have other mood disorders may develop Bipolar Disorder as well.
Understanding the disorder is so important for getting proper help and management. Bipolar disorder is controlled by medication to balance out the moods, but there is also a very big focus on education to help understand the symptoms and cope with the illness. This education is vitally important not only for the person suffering from Bipolar Disorder, but for the families as well. Therapy for the person who has Bipolar Disorder is recommended. There is psychotherapy, cognitive therapy and interpersonal therapy to help patients deal with the social relationships in their lives and cope with their symptoms.
It certainly is not easy to live with mood swings, you never know how you are going to feel and it does wreck havoc on a person.s life. However, if you can identify the triggers that will begin the process of an episode, with medication you can learn to divert the episode and get any additional medication and or support you will need before the episode is full blown.
With education and therapy, the Bipolar individual can learn what triggers their episodes and how to manage their mood swings which include restlessness and irritability, depression and irrational thoughts. What is also important is that you do not go off your medication even if you are feeling better. It is the medication that is actually keeping your moods in control. Going off your medication can sometimes not only bring the moods swings back but actually make them worst.
It is also very important for people suffering from Bipolar Disorder to take care of their health, to get enough sleep, which is something they do not do when they are in the manic phase of the disorder, and to eat well, and get in exercise and sunshine. A healthy body promotes a healthy mind.