Bipolar Disorder

Symptoms

The main symptom of bipolar disorder is extreme changes to your mood.

You sometimes have either:

• high moods (mania or hypomania) – for example, feeling very happy, excited or energetic
• low moods (depression) – for example, feeling sad, tired or hopeless

These moods usually last a few days or weeks at a time.

If you have bipolar disorder, you will usually have times where your mood is stable and you do not have any symptoms. This can last for weeks, months or years.

Causes

It's not known exactly what causes bipolar disorder.

You're more likely to have it if you have a parent, brother or sister who has bipolar disorder.

There are some things that can increase your chances of having it, including:

• childhood trauma or abuse
• a stressful event such as relationship problems, abuse, the death of someone close to you or money problems
• recreational drugs such as cannabis or cocaine
• a parasite called toxoplasma gondii (which causes toxoplasmosis)

Diagnosis

If a GP thinks you may have bipolar disorder or another mental health condition, they will refer you to a mental health specialist (psychiatrist).

The mental health specialist will ask you about things like your moods, behaviour, health and family history.

Bipolar disorder can take time to diagnose because it affects everyone differently and the symptoms are similar to other mental health conditions.

Treatment Options

Bipolar disorder cannot be cured, but there are treatments that can help manage it.

A mental health specialist will work with you to create a treatment plan.

Treatments you may have include:

• medicines to help stabilise your moods
• talking therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

Some medicines you need to take all the time, others you only take when your symptoms get worse.

The medicines can cause side effects. These will vary depending on which medicine you take and how your body responds to it.

Things you can do to help with bipolar disorder

If you have bipolar disorder, it's important to know what can trigger your high and low moods

This can include things like feeling stressed, not getting enough sleep or being too busy.

There are some things you can do that can help to keep your moods stable.

Do:

• try to have a regular routine

• get plenty of sleep
• eat a healthy diet
• exercise regularly
• try to avoid and manage stress

Do not:

• do not take recreational drugs

• do not smoke
• do not drink too much alcohol
• do not do shift work or work very long hours if you can avoid it
• do not fly at night or across time zones if you can avoid it
• do not drink lots of caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea or cola
  

When To See A Doctor

See a GP if:

• you have extreme changes in your moods that last a long time or impact your everyday life
• you've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treatments are not helping (or speak to your mental health specialist if you have one)

If you're worried about someone else, encourage them to speak to their GP.