Understanding the Different Types of Bipolar Disorder

By Jamie Shapiro | March 16, 2016 | Comments Off on Understanding the Different Types of Bipolar Disorder

Senior Care in Evanston IL

Each year on March 30 the healthcare community comes together to recognize, raise awareness of, and offer support to those dealing with bipolar disorder. This mental illness can make a tremendous impact on the person suffering from it as well as his family and friends. If you are on a senior care journey with an elderly parent who may be facing bipolar disorder, it is important that you understand that this is not a condition that has just one type. As with many conditions and disorders, there are several variations of bipolar disorder that are characterized by different manifestations of the depressed and manic cycles central to the condition.

Though there is a common misconception that bipolar disorders are mental illnesses only of the young and that they will go away as people get older, research has shown that at least 10 percent of new cases of the disorder are actually diagnosed in adults over the age of 50. Those who develop the symptoms of the condition, or who recognize the symptoms of the condition, after the age of 60 tend to experience the most severe of symptoms. Early detection is key to making sure that your parent gets the proper diagnosis and can get on a course of treatment and management that is right for him.

The DSM-V, or The Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, describes specific criteria for each of the variations of bipolar disorder. Which variation your parent is diagnosed with will make a difference in the types of treatment and management options that are available to him. These variations include:

  • Bipolar I. This condition is characterized by at least one manic episode that may have been followed or preceded by a major depressive or hypomanic episode. The manic episode was severe and caused significant negative impact on life, potentially requiring hospitalization
  • Bipolar II. This condition is characterized by at least one major depressive episode that persisted for a minimum of two weeks and then a hypomanic episode that persisted for a minimum of four days. In this variation, there is no truly manic episode. The sudden changes in mood and the symptoms of the major depressive episode tend to cause challenges in daily life
  • Cyclothymic disorder. Generally viewed as a less severe version, this condition is characterized by a minimum of two years of alternating periods of hypomania symptoms and depressive symptoms. These do not reach the severity of a truly manic, hypomanic, or major depressive episode, but are present half the time or more and do not disappear for more than two consecutive months at a time. These symptoms are not as serious, but they are still severe enough to make a negative impact on major areas of life
  • Related types. Some people will experience bipolar symptoms related to another condition. Some conditions that may lead to this type of diagnosis include substance abuse and multiple sclerosis.

 

It is important to realize that bipolar I and bipolar II are not versions of each other, but separate conditions. One is not considered more or less severe than the other, and the treatment and management options are generally different. Tracking changes in your loved one’s behavior and asking his senior health care services provider to alert you to any changes that he might recognize can help you to give your parent’s doctor valuable information when you bring him in for an evaluation.

 

If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Evanston, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 943-3786. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette and the surrounding areas.

Sources:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/basics/symptoms/con-20027544

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/bipolar-disorder-among-adults.shtml

 

Jamie Shapiro
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