Bi Polar Disorder

There are no blood tests for Bipolar Disorder. A doctor may take blood to rule out physical illness (like Thyroid insufficiency) but there is no test for Bipolar.

Bipolar has a genetic component so if you think something is wrong but there is no history of Bipolar in your family, it's most likely something different (like Borderline Personality Disorder). If you have the genetic predisposition for Bipolar it can manifest on it's own or traumatic life events can trigger it, but the genetics have to be there first. You cannot "catch" bipolar.

 

hi vanaja,
iam sumathi from chennai. i too suffering from depression. but not very high. always i feel sad. could u suggest any dr for counselling if u knw.

 

Hitesh,

Welcome to IL. It's best to open a new thread and hear from members about your concern. This is a very old thread and the causes might be different in your cause.

Good luck.

 

hi nandhu
thnx 4 ur reply..

 

Bipolar Disorder

Has she been given Selenium?

Arunadhri

 

Hi,
Regarding Bi polar disorder, I suffered from bi polar disorder and now fully recovered and leading a happy life with my hubby and 2 children. I had twice this problem. Both the times exactly 1 year 4 months after my deliveries. In fact my hubby is very loving and caring person, we have a very good understanding and i am a house wife, like how Priya has mentioned in her thread.
When i had for the 1st time i was under medication for 1 and half years. then again i got after my 2nd delivery. This time I took medicine for 3 to 4 year. My hubby took me to a good Psychiatrist Dr. not a Psychologist.
Bi polar is caused by the chemical changes taking place in the brain and imbalance of harmones. Of course timely food and proper rest especially good night sleep one can avoid these kinds of depression. In my case in both the instances it could have been due to stress, no proper sleep, no timely food and heavy work in managing small kid alone in gulf country without help. One can imagine how much work load a mother will have with a new born. Though i had my delivery in India in my parents place i came back to Dubai in 3 months. I managed alone even without a maid.
I went to Dr. then took medicine. slowly He tampered the medicine and stopped completely. The medicines are given to calm the mind but i was able to manage with my regular household work, of course my hubby helped me a lot, he is a good moral support also. My Father also came for our help for 3 months from India during the initially. Then i managed now i am without medicine more than 2 and half years.
Many think once you start medication you have to continue life long thats a wrong notion. It is the Dr. who decide what medicine to give and duration every thing depending upon the person. My Dr. also explained to us it is like any other fever, malaria, thyphoid. etc. We went by the Dr. advice and followed his instructions. I gained weight but lost after going to gym. Make sure you go to a good Dr. then have faith in that dr. and take medicines regularly what has been given to you. Definitely it will help.
Hope the information provided will be useful to you.

Raji

 

I am not sure how they can be sure it is Bipolar disorder. Once women are in their perimenopausal stage around 35, lot of hormonal changes occur and I wonder if many of the symptoms that you have described are PMS. I have been having PMS symptoms since I had my son about 11 years ago and there are times when I feel so out of control. I was on anti-depressants for about 7 years but weaned myself off 2 years ago. While the meds helped in keeping my mind calm it also made me somewhat dull and memory loss was a big problem. I decided to go at it the natural route of yoga and meditation. Meditation does help quite a bit and you need to keep your stress level at a minimum.
I know as mothers in this country it is sometimes hard to do but we need to take care of our health before attending to the family. Bottomline meds have only some value but for long-term peace, Meditation is the answer. Please ask your friend to give it a try atleast for a month before shooting the idea down. It does work. I am a certified yoga teacher, although not teaching at present I do practice to help me deal with emotional issues. Like your friend I too have a great family with husband and 3 kids, financially secure, homemaker etc. Still when it comes to matters of the mind, only thing that does help is Meditation. Hope that helps some.

 

Hi
I do agree that Yoga helps in keep the stress level but it is not the treatment for the bi polar disorder. after going to dr. we came to know that i am suffering from bi polar disorder. I'm sure its not due to PMS since i was just 28 years when under went this problem. Thank god that we were in safe and good hands(DR.) The severity of the problem, when the notice there is a problem everything matters and it differs from person to person.
In my case when i got it 2nd time mainly my Dr. told that it could have been due to( ONE OF THE REASON) i stopped the medicine in 1 and half year and atleast i should have taken it for 3 to 5 years. Of course there is some memory loss, lethargic feeling etc., only during that period. But since i am completely out of this, my memories are very good before and after i completed my medication.
I do accept Yoga or regular exercise will keep maintain the stress level. Especially it will be of good help to certain person who suffer mild depression.
bye
raji.

 

HI Raji,

Sounds like you had a really good doctor who explained the condition in a factual way You are right in that the intensity of the condition determines whether medicine is neccessary. Medication helps stabilize the moods. The tricky part is that what works for one person doesn't work the same for another and people have to try them out for a while to figure out what suits their body the best. Did the dr prescribe you a maintanence dosage or are you comletely weaned off medication? (I hope that's not too personal a question).

Yoga, meditation, exercize, diet-all help with the coping skills-which most people are able to engage in, after their mood has stabilized.

Rama