Findings from studies indicate that mental health issues are at an all-time high, especially in the younger generation. Mental illness can be brought about by a number of factors, such as high cost of living, drug abuse, and misaligned beliefs. Statistics show that the average youth takes on the character of a depressed patient after university.
In most cases, people mistake bipolar disorder for depression. But what is the difference between bipolar disorder and depression? In order to contrast bipolar disorder with depression, you need to first know what brings about the two ailments. You need to get familiar with what a bipolar disorder patient does, how he/she looks and what type of behavioral pattern he/she has, and how these are majorly different from what a depressed patient does.
What is Bipolar Disorder?
A bipolar patient is known to be constantly shifting their moods periodically. These moods, as previously stated, range from extreme happiness to sudden bursts of crying and silence. The cause of bipolar disorder has no scientific evidence to back it, but it is, however, believed to be genetic or developed after extremely traumatizing life events.
For children, online psychiatry services Michigan facilitate convenient diagnosis and immediate treatment. Treating bipolar disorder in its early stages is very important for the patient because it reduces the chances of progressive mental damage.
Understanding a bipolar patient can be quite hard, especially if you have not previously encountered such a patient. The patient is usually misunderstood as they appear to be changing personalities due to the changes in their energy levels. These are some signs that will aid you in identifying a bipolar disorder patient;
Insomnia in Severe Cases
Bipolar patients have a very difficult time falling asleep. Bipolar patients experience mood swings and shifts in hormones that greatly affect their circadian rhythm which is their natural rhythmic flow of body functions. Bipolar patients are known to fall asleep or get hyperactive every once in a while.
Irritability and High Aggression Levels
Irritability is when a patient experiences massive anger outbursts over issues that seem small or too little for a sane and mentally stable person to care about. A bipolar patient will usually exhibit violence and loss of control at the slightest issues.
Cases have been recorded where bipolar patients have caused severe bodily harm to themselves and even to other people. Bipolar patients are more aggressive and thus are very obsessive about the things or the people that bother them drug detox massachusetts.
Hyperactivity
Hyperactivity is a situation where a bipolar patient channels all their mental and physical energy to a particular task. Hyperactivity is usually the first visible symptom one notices in a bipolar patient. Bipolar patients direct all their energy to a particular task and as a result, they usually attain a very polished level of creativity, which is mostly visible in the results of what they do.
What is Depression, and How Does It Differ from Bipolar Disorder?
Depression is a constant, periodic feeling of low energy. It is characterized by a feeling of sadness, loneliness, and extreme worthlessness. A bipolar patient also experiences outbursts of high energy, unlike a depressed patient that only experiences low energy. Depression comes with a lot of negative effects mentally such as reduction of the brain’s gray matter and even its ability to have neurotransmission.
Depressed people will find it hard to maintain relationships and even produce good results in work. Depression could be brought about by life-traumatizing events, diagnosis of chronic diseases, or even self-sabotaging one’s life with the intake of alcohol and drugs. The most vulnerable set of people in this case are children who are subjected to various forms of abuse growing up. Chronic depression comes with very severe repercussions such as psychotic behavior and even suicidal thoughts.
Is there Hope for Bipolar and Depression Patients?
Definitely yes, there is hope for bipolar and depression patients. The best way to go about helping these patients is through treatment. Psychologists and psychiatrists are available to help in treatment, most of whom are specialists in treating bipolar and depressed patients. Depression treatment is usually administered with antidepressant medication as well as psychotherapy sessions.
The combination of mental support, lifestyle adjustments, and therapy sessions and mood stabilization drugs works perfectly for treating bipolar disorder.
Conclusion
Mental health issues are present in one way or the other in all people. Indeed, the act of stigmatizing patients suffering from bipolar disorder and depression should be completely abolished. There are a lot of government and non-governmental bodies who have volunteered and are currently advocating for psychiatric help. The digitalization of the medical world has also brought about a lot of service delivery innovation, such that, these days a bipolar patient can seek psychiatric help anonymously from the comfort of their homes. The future of mental health is surely headed to providing experienced psychiatrists to mental health patients via the Internet.