Bipolar counselling Flashcards
How common is it?
Bipolar disorder is quite a common illness. About one person in 100 will develop this
disorder at some time in their lives
When does it start?
The disorder usually starts before the age of 30 but may occur at any time in the lifespan.
Women and men are equally likely to be affected.
What causes it?
No one knows exactly what causes this.Bipolar disorder is probably caused by a number
of factors including heredity, chemical imbalance in the brain and stress
What happens in mania?
In an episode of mania, you may feel very happy and excited, full of energy, very active,
unable or unwilling to sleep, behaving in a bizarre way, recklessly spending your money,
less inhibited about your social and sexual behaviour, Speaking very quickly and
jumping very quickly from one idea to another, full of new and exciting ideas and
making plans that are grandiose and unrealistic, Making odd decisions on the spur of the
moment, sometimes with disastrous consequences
How likely is another episode?
50% have another episode of mania or depression
How long are episodes?
The length of time that a person remains well between episodes of illness varies from one person to the next. Some people may have only two or three episodes of illness and other people may have more episodes of illness.
The good news, however, is that with regular
medication you can reduce or even prevent further episodes of illness
How is it treated?
This disturbance can be treated with medications, which are called mood stabilisers.
One of the most commonly used mood stabilisers is lithium and there are also other mood stabilisers like sodium valpraote
Valproate
Valproate is generally used in the treatment of epilepsy to help control fits or seizures.
Valproate can also be used to help mood disorders (especially if the person is high – as
an antimanic) and some other illnesses, particularly when other treatments have not been
effective.
It is not entirely clear how valproate works (either as a mood stabiliser or as an anticonvulsant), as it causes several actions in the brain. There is a chemical messenger (or ‘neurotransmitter’) called GABA, which calms the brain down.
Valproate helps to stop the breakdown of GABA and so leaves enough in the brain thereby controlling overactivity/mania and acts as a mood stabiliser.
Some of the common side effects are drowsiness, feeling sick, increased appetite,
weight gain, you may have an upset stomach and you may feel tired all the time.
Some people also complain of hair loss, disturbed menstrual periods in women and on
higher doses some patients feel unsteady on their feet.
You should certainly carry on the treatment for a longer period of time and it will need to
be reviewed by psychiatrists in outpatients
