It’s become commonplace for people to describe a person who contradicts themselves or expresses high and low emotions as bipolar. And it’s easy to understand why: Drastic mood swings characterize bipolar disorder.
But the clinical diagnosis of bipolar disorder is more complicated than that. At Ultimate Psychiatry in Plano, Frisco, and Prosper, Texas, board-certified Dr. Shakil Tukdi and our team of mental health specialists often hear about the misconceptions of bipolar disorder.
Here, we’ve outlined some of the most common myths surrounding bipolar disorder so you can better understand the condition and help yourself or a loved one manage the symptoms.
This common misconception about bipolar disorder is based in fact — mood swings are involved. However, a person with this condition doesn’t simply experience a change of mood.
It’s normal for people to experience several different moods throughout the day. And even if you experience an extreme high and an extreme low one day, you may not have bipolar disorder.
When Dr. Tukdi suspects bipolar disorder, he’s looking for chronic patterns of extreme changes that involve your emotions as well as your energy level and your sleep hygiene.
Bipolar disorder — also known as manic depression — includes manic episodes of euphoria, hyperactivity, racing thoughts, and rapid talking, followed by a shift to depressive episodes of extreme sadness, hopelessness, and loss of energy and interest.
If you don’t have bipolar disorder, it’s easy to think that it’s a rare condition, but almost 6 million Americans suffer from it, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. It usually appears around age 25, but it’s been known to affect people as old as 40 and 50 as well as children.
Even doctors can’t say for sure what causes bipolar disorder, so placing blame on the sufferer is inaccurate. However, researchers do know who’s at a higher risk than others for developing bipolar disorder.
There’s considerable evidence that bipolar disorder runs in families. In fact, if one of your parents has bipolar disorder, you’re 15%-30% more likely to develop it than other people, and if both your parents have it, your risk increases to 50%-75%. More than two-thirds of people with bipolar disorder have at least one other close family relative who also suffers from it.
You can’t do anything about these genetic links to bipolar disorder, but there are a few lifestyle factors that put you at a higher risk, too, and you may be able to mitigate your chances of developing the condition if you avoid them. These include:
Having bipolar disorder isn’t your fault, but knowing the facts about it helps you take control of your life and get the treatment you need.
Living with bipolar disorder can be frustrating for you and those you live and work with. And while effective treatments exist, an alarming number of people never seek help and go undiagnosed.
Statistics from the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance showed that people often go 10 years before they get a diagnosis, and about 70% of them had received at least three inaccurate diagnoses before they finally found out they had bipolar disorder.
The truth is that bipolar disorder is fairly common. There are four different types of the condition:
Dr. Tukdi has extensive experience diagnosing and treating all types of bipolar disorders. After getting to know you and the nature of your symptoms, he may recommend lifestyle changes to reduce the frequency and intensity of your episodes. He may also recommend professional treatments such as:
When appropriate, Dr. Tukdi also prescribes medications, such as lithium, that can help stabilize your moods.
To learn more about bipolar disorder and which treatment can bring your moods back into balance, schedule a consultation with Dr. Tukdi by calling any of our three locations or booking online today. We also offer telepsychiatry for your convenience.
