Health Care

What is Biploar Disorder?
Bipolar or manic depressive illness is a brain disorder that causes a typical changes in mood, energy and activity levels. Bipolar 1 disorder is diagnosed as having manic or mixed episodes, which are not normal of the person’s behaviour. The episodes last for at least a week and require medical attention. The person also experiences depressive episodes, which last approximately two weeks. In between the cycling of manic and depression, many can live normal lives. Symptoms first appear in teens or early 20s, with many developing the disorder before the age of 50.

Bipolar Disorder Medications
Many different medications are needed for the best course of treatment as patients respond to the drugs differently. The medication should be taken continuously for the prevention of a relapse. Manic episodes in bipolar I disorder require treatment with drugs, such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers, benzodiazepines, and newer antipyschotics.

To track and treat the illness, the patient carries out a daily life chart of their mood symptoms, treatments, sleeping patterns and life events. Usually, the first choice of treatment is the long term use of mood stabilisers. With the exception of lithium, they are anticonvulsants to treat seizures as well as controlling mood. There are many types of mood stabilisers on the market. Lithium was the first to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is frequently effective in controlling the symptoms of mania, and preventing the recurrence of manic and depressive episodes.

Valproic acid is as effective as lithium for treating mania. Lamotrigine is the more recent for maintaining the treatment. Less prescribed anticonvulsants include gabapentin, topiramate and oxcarbazepine as they are not more effective than the mood stabilisers. It is thought that by taking valproic acid, lamotrigine and other anticonvulsants, it increases the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours and therefore patients are closely monitored.

In addition to the disorder, patients often have problems with their thyroid gland. The overproduction or underproduction of the thyroid hormone can lead to mood and energy changes. It has been seen that hypothyroidism is associated with the rapid cycling of the bipolar disorder, occurring especially in women.

Atypical antipsychotic drugs are often used for treatment. They are usually taken with other drugs. These include: olanzapine, which is given with an antidepressant to help relieve symptoms of severe mania or psychosis. It can also be given intravenously to treat agitation of manic or mixed episodes. Aripiprazole has the same effect as olanzapine as well maintaining treatment after a severe or sudden episode. Quetiapine relieves the symptoms of severe and sudden manic episodes. Risperidone and ziprasidone are also prescribed for controlling manic or mixed episodes. (more…)

Almost all of us feel anxious now and again, usually when we find a situation daunting or frightening and feel that we will be unable to cope with it.

This might happen when we have to attend a big social event, give a presentation at work or go for an important interview but generally our anxiety drops away fairly quickly. That’s because the situation is only temporary and we know it will soon be over. This kind of anxiety is manageable with anxiety treatment because we know it is only short-term and that we can handle the physical, mental and emotional discomfort that comes along with it.

Some people, however, find it unbearable and impossible to manage. For them, anxiety has become a problem. These people experience acute anxiety on a daily basis even when that anxiety is not based upon reality. They find it impossible to lead a normal life thanks to the very real symptoms that anxiety causes and often become isolated and depressed.

Sometimes, their anxiety reaches such a level that they feel they cannot cope any more, often believing that they will never be able to rid themselves of this debilitating disorder. If you are experiencing this kind of daily anxiety, or if you suffer from intermittent episodes of anxiety that interfere with your daily life, then it is likely that you are suffering from an anxiety or panic disorder.

At this point, I urge you not to worry or feel even more anxious. There is excellent anxiety treatment information and resources available for overcoming this crippling condition once and for all. One important thing to remember is that you are not alone – anxiety is the most common mental disorder in the United States with over 19 million adults (that’s around 13% of the population) affected at any one time. Not to mention all the other anxiety sufferers in other countries! Anxiety disorders cost the US over $42 million dollars a year and sufferers are three to five times more likely to go to the doctor and six times more likely to be hospitalized for anxiety treatment.

If anxiety is making your life unhappy, there are two routes you can take to get rid of it completely. You could seek a professional councillor to help guide you in the right direction and provide you with anxiety treatment. The alternative is to take the self-help path and invest in a good quality course to teach you important techniques in eliminating anxiety. Many people even opt to do both. (more…)