Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a lifelong illness, but you can manage the mood swings and other symptoms it causes by following a personalized treatment plan. Axis Integrated Mental Health has offices in Louisville and Aurora, Colorado, where the highly skilled team provides ongoing, holistic treatment for patients with bipolar disorder. Call the Axis Integrated Mental Health office nearest you to schedule a bipolar disorder evaluation or book an in-person or telehealth appointment online today.

What is bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder causes intense changes in mood, thinking patterns, energy levels, and behavior. It affects around 5.7 million adults in the United States.

Patients with bipolar disorder experience cyclical mood changes that can last for hours, days, weeks, or months. You may have extreme highs (mania), bouts of hypomania (a less intense mania), extreme lows (depression), and every stage in between.

Bipolar mood swings affect your ability to perform daily functions, affecting sleep quality and quantity, judgment, behavior, and thinking. It’s a lifelong illness, but with the Axis Integrated Mental Health team’s support, you can manage mood swings and other bipolar disorder symptoms successfully.

What effects does bipolar disorder have on behavior?

Manic episodes can cause the following symptoms and behaviors:

• Feeling important or powerful
• Excessive appetite for pleasurable activities like eating, drinking, and sex
• Feeling you can do many activities at once without getting tired
• Racing thoughts
• Distractedness
• Being extra talkative
• Reduced need for sleep
• Being jumpy or wired
• Extreme irritability
• Feeling high, elated, or euphoric

In contrast, during a depressive episode, you’ll likely feel very down, sad, and anxious. You might have difficulty getting to sleep, wake up too early, or sleep too much. Your speech can slow, you might struggle to have conversations, and avoid social contact.

Depression affects concentration and decision-making, and you may feel unable to manage simple tasks. You lose interest in most activities, feel hopeless or worthless, and, in severe cases, think about death or suicide.

Patients with bipolar disorder may not always be manic, hypomanic, or depressive — they can also experience periods of balanced mood (euthymia).

Does bipolar disorder have different forms?

Bipolar disorder has several forms, including:

Bipolar I disorder

Bipolar I disorder patients have had at least one manic episode with a hypomanic or major depressive episode before or after. Manic episodes last at least seven days and can be so severe that patients require hospitalization. Sometimes, mania triggers psychosis (a break from reality).

Bipolar II disorder

Bipolar II disorder patients experience depression and have had at least one hypomanic episode, but they don’t suffer from severe mania.

Cyclothymic disorder

People with cyclothymia experience frequent hypomania and depression over two years or more.

What treatment helps with bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder requires ongoing treatment that typically includes talk therapy and medications like mood stabilizers and antidepressants. Exercise, meditation, yoga, and light therapy can be helpful, and some patients benefit from transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and ketamine therapy.

Call Axis Integrated Mental Health or book an appointment online today for expert bipolar disorder diagnosis and treatment.