Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that causes severe mood swings and irregularities. A patient with bipolar disorder experiences feelings of euphoria followed by episodes of depression. These extreme mood swings can have many side effects on a person’s life. Thus, patients with bipolar require attention from a health professional.
Dr. Seif offers assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for patients with bipolar disorder. As a board-certified psychiatrist, she treats bipolar symptoms so that they are more manageable, allowing the patient to have a better quality of life.
What Are the Types of Bipolar Disorder?
There are four main types of bipolar disorder:
1. Bipolar I: patients diagnosed with Bipolar I experience manic episodes for 7 days or more. They then experience depressive episodes that last longer than 2 weeks.
2. Bipolar II: similar to Bipolar I, patients with bipolar II also experience depressive episodes. However, the difference between the two types is the severity of manic episodes. Bipolar II patients go through manic episodes that are less extreme than in Bipolar I or don’t experience them.
3. Cyclothymia: this type of bipolar is characterized by depressive episodes that last for 2 years or more along with hypomanic symptoms.
4. Unspecified bipolar: this is when a patient displays bipolar tendencies but does not match the criteria for a bipolar diagnosis. As a result, they are diagnosed with an unspecified form of bipolar or a related disorder.
What Are the Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder?
- Racing thoughts with an inability to concentrate on one task
- Extreme mood swings; from feeling euphoric and excited to feeling very hopeless
- Making impulsive decisions
- Taking major risks without proper planning
- Thoughts of self-harm or suicide
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Significant weight gain or loss for no clear reason
Bipolar Disorder Treatment
Dr. Seif does a thorough assessment of the patient to rule out any organic causes. Then, depending on the severity of the symptoms, she prescribes a medication and/or psychotherapy.
