Bipolar 2 – An Overview of Symptoms and Treatment Options
The classification of Bipolar has been narrowed down after being diagnosed and studied over a number of years. This is because more is learned about it. One such bipolar diagnosis is bipolar 2. It helps to identify the types and kinds of bipolar. It involves swinging from depression to hypo manic states without entering the manic states characterized by bipolar 1 or the more widely known term manic depression. However, this form of bipolar is not easy to recognize.
Identifying the Symptoms of Bipolar and Bipolar 2
In general, recognizing manic depression is not as difficult as recognizing the characteristics of the individual types of bipolar. In a lot of cases, the differences between the various types can be subtle and hard to recognize. To know if a person is suffering from bipolar 2, it is essential that you are also able to recognize a mild bipolar known as hypomania which forms one of the symptom sets for this form of bipolar.
A person that suffers from hypomania runs in cycles between the productive manic phase and a baseline or normal phase. These people rarely become depressed and rarely have manic episodes. What this means for those with bipolar is that they do not extend far enough into the manic portion of the cycle to have a true manic episode. However, they will they will cycle back to normal and then down into depression before returning to complete the cycle
This is in fact one of the major differences between this type of bipolar disease and bipolar manic depression. Symptoms of depression are what can be experienced by a person suffering from bipolar 2 with a possibility of the symptom becoming as severe as manic depression. The cycle will run upwards, in some cases rapidly to normal behavior and then into hypo manic phases.
This is usually characterized by high energy but rarely has excessively dangerous activities. For example, a person may be talkative, hyper, clean their home to an excessive degree or be highly productive on a project or may even spend excessively though they rarely spend to the point of endangering finances as a person experiencing true mania would.
Treatment Options
Anti depressants is what is normally used to treat someone suffering from bipolar 2. This at the standard dosage works well on normal bipolar manic depression but can actually be a problem for those who have other types of bipolar. Milder doses are required especially if antipsychotics are being used. Anticonvulsants, which have mood stabilizing properties, can also be used in these cases without creating negative side effects. Bipolar 2 individuals are also recommended to acquire therapy.
There are treatment options available for bipolar 2 sufferers that will help them to lead a normal life. To ensure this, it is imperative that you are diagnosed and help is acquired. Some people are too embarrassed to seek the help of health professionals and this often prevents the possibility of them leading a full and normal life. Your life at home and even your ability to hold a job and provide for your family can be affected by bipolar 2 and bipolar affective disorder. But this does not have to happen. You have to seek help and educate yourself to reclaim your life.