Bipolar disorder, or manic depression, is a mental disorder that causes changes in mood, concentration, activity level, and ability to carry out daily activities. People with bipolar disorder who were previously very happy can suddenly become very sad and hopeless.
These sudden mood swings can affect sleep, energy, activity, behavior, and thinking abilities. Bipolar disorder is a lifelong condition, in the sense that it can relapse at any time. However, symptoms can be well controlled with medication and acupuncture.
What are the symptoms of bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder has two stages: manic (up) and depressive (down). During manic periods, the patient appears highly agitated, and energetic and speaks rapidly. During periods of depression, patients appear sad, and lethargic, and lose interest in daily activities.
People with bipolar disorder who are in a manic phase can show symptoms such as the following:
- Thinking can do many things at once at one time.
- Doing risky things, such as eating and drinking excessively, spending money, or having reckless sex.
- Feeling very important, talented, or powerful.
- Loss of appetite.
- Talking very fast about lots of different things.
- Felt like his mind was racing.
- Very excited, happy, and easily offended or sensitive.
- Very restless.
- Experiencing a decreased need for sleep.
Meanwhile, the symptoms of the depressive phase of bipolar disorder can include:
- Trouble sleeping, waking up too early, or sleeping too much.
- Increased appetite and weight gain.
- Talking very slowly, feeling like they have nothing to say, or forgetting a lot.
- Not interested in doing all activities,
- Feeling hopeless, worthless, and having thoughts of death or suicide.
- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions.
- Very sad, empty, or worried.
- Very restless.
Someone with bipolar disorder can experience a normal state, between manic and depressive. However, some people experience sharp transitions from manic to depressive, or from depressed to manic. ( rapid cycling ).
Some patients are manic and depressive at the same time. For example, if the person feels very energetic and at the same time very sad and hopeless. This phenomenon is called a mixed period ( mixed state ).
What causes bipolar disorder?
Some experts claim that the condition is caused by an imbalance in neurotransmitters or substances that control brain function. Factors that are believed to increase the risk of developing bipolar disorder include:
- Experiencing high levels of stress.
- Traumatic experience.
- Addiction to alcohol or illegal drugs.
- Have a close family history (siblings or parents) of bipolar disorder.
How to treat bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a lifelong illness and symptoms can appear at any time. Long-term and ongoing care can help patients manage these symptoms. Currently, there are a number of treatments recommended for people with bipolar disorder:
- Drugs
- Psychotherapy
- Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
- acupuncture
What is the role of acupuncture in bipolar disorder?
Acupuncture has particular benefits in the treatment of bipolar disorder. According to the cause, namely the imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain, acupuncture has been shown to affect neurotransmitters. In the medical world, there have been many studies that prove this. Acupuncture may be combined with drugs and other therapies. The results are also positive because they can reduce drug side effects, accelerate patient progress, reduce the possibility of drug dependence, and so on. For optimal results, acupuncture is recommended 2-3 times per week. This is because the effects of acupuncture can last 48-72 hours after therapy.
In addition to treating bipolar disorder, acupuncture can be used to prevent the recurrence of bipolar symptoms. For patients with bipolar disorder, before symptoms appear there are usually certain feelings as a sign that bipolar symptoms will appear. This is an important time for patients to get acupuncture therapy immediately so that bipolar symptoms do not appear. Even if for example it appears, the symptoms will be lighter, not too severe, and can still be controlled. Make sure that the person doing the acupuncture is a professional and experienced acupuncture specialist so that acupuncture therapy is effective and safe.
The article was written by dr. Freddy Julianto, Sp.Ak, MM (Acupuncture Specialist at EMC Pulomas Hospital).