It’s normal for us to be happy in the morning and be sad in the afternoon. Certain events can cause the shift in mood. You could be happy in the morning because you had a good night’s sleep. But after a long commute to the office or being picked on by your boss, it’s reasonable why you will feel angry or sad in the middle of the day.

Yet there are people who experience extreme shifts in mood within a short amount of time. The abnormal shifts not only can be very annoying but also hamper a person’s ability to complete everyday tasks. People who are like this have bipolar disorder.

Understanding Bipolar Disorder

Do you know that more than 10 million Americans are afflicted with this psychological disorder? Bipolar disorder, or manic-depressive illness, is a serious mental condition that can have long-term repercussions. As mentioned earlier, it is characterized by extreme emotional shifts. An individual with bipolar disorder may be happy one moment but becomes sad and emotional an hour later. These emotional shifts can be so overwhelming that a person may even commit suicide. It can also destroy relationships, affect career and academic performance of people afflicted with this condition.

Someone who has bipolar depression will alternately experience extreme euphoria and major depression.  Extreme euphoria is characterized by recklessness and boundless energy. Those who undergo this phase talk too much and even engage in risky activities like drug or alcohol abuse. Major depression is characterized by a feeling of sadness, extremely low energy levels and lack of sleep. The person who goes through this phase will also feel a sense of being worthless and would cry a lot.

Signs of Suicide

Although bipolar disorder is a serious condition as it is, even more alarming is when a person with this condition shows signs of committing suicide. Obviously, the depression phase is the stage when a patient entertains thoughts of ending his life. Warning signs of suicide include feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness and acting recklessly. The patient likes to talk about death or suicide, and seeks out weapons that may be used to end his life.

Medication

Abilify is one of the many prescription drugs for bipolar disorder. It is usually prescribed to treat moderate to severe cases of mania among adults and adolescents aged 13 years and older. It is also given to cure autistic disorder symptoms such as irritability, mood swings and aggression.

Abilify works on the receptors located in the brain like the dopamine and serotonin receptors. These receptors are involved in the transmission of messages between the brain cells. By stabilizing the activity of these receptors that causes psychotic illness, Abilify is able to treat bipolar disorder.  The drug is taken once a day.

Abilify is just part of a long-term bipolar disorder treatment. Because the disorder is chronic and relapsing, treatment continues even when the patient is feeling better. Aside from medication, part of bipolar disorder treatment includes therapy, lifestyle changes and support from loved ones.