behandlungsfeld bipolarestoerung 1

Bipolar disorder

Bipo­lar dis­or­ders are seve­re chro­nic men­tal ill­nesses cha­rac­te­ri­zed by manic and depres­si­ve mood swings. Mania pres­ents its­elf as an exag­ge­ra­ted fee­ling of ela­ti­on and tho­se affec­ted are usual­ly over­ac­ti­ve, eupho­ric or irri­ta­ble at the same time. This pha­se is fol­lo­wed by more or less pro­no­un­ced depres­si­on, with a depres­sed mood, list­less­ness and sad­ness. The mood swings occur epi­so­dical­ly and inde­pendent­ly of the cur­rent life situa­ti­on.

Bipo­lar dis­or­der: sym­ptoms

Symptoms in the depressive phase

In the depres­si­ve pha­ses, the cli­ni­cal pic­tu­re resem­bles depres­si­on. The main sym­ptoms then include

  • Depres­sed mood
  • Loss of inte­rest and joy
  • Lack of dri­ve
  • Sleep dis­tur­ban­ces, espe­ci­al­ly sleep dis­or­ders in the second half of the night
  • Con­cen­tra­ti­on and thin­king dis­or­ders
  • Fee­lings of guilt
  • Self-doubt
  • Sui­ci­dal thoughts

Bipolar disorder: symptoms in the manic phase

In pha­ses of mania, the pre­vious­ly depres­si­ve mood chan­ges com­ple­te­ly. This pha­se is not always easy to reco­gni­ze at first. Tho­se affec­ted are often initi­al­ly more acti­ve and in a more posi­ti­ve mood than in the depres­si­ve pha­se. It can also remain with this wea­k­en­ed form of mania. This is known as hypo­ma­nia.

  • Over­ac­ti­vi­ty
  • Over­con­fi­dence and reck­less­ness
  • Delu­si­ons of gran­deur
  • Crea­ti­ve poten­ti­al