Bipolar disorder is a serious mental health condition that calls for professional diagnosis and treatment. At Wonder Years, we have been treating mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder for a long time, and we are well equipped to provide you or your loved one with the help that is needed.

Learn More About Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, commonly known as manic depression, is a mental health condition marked by severe mood changes, including lows (depression) and emotional highs (mania or hypomania).

When you are depressed, you may feel gloomy or hopeless and lose all interest or enjoyment in most things. When your mood switches to mania or hypomania (milder forms of mania), you may feel elated, energized, or abnormally irritated. These mood fluctuations may interfere with sleep, energy, activity, judgment, conduct, and the capacity to think rationally.

Mood swings might happen once or many times a year. While most individuals will have some emotional symptoms in between bouts, others may not.

Although bipolar illness is a lifelong diagnosis, you may control your mood swings as well as other symptoms by following a treatment plan. In most situations, bipolar illness is treated with drugs and psychological treatment (psychotherapy).

Factors that may raise the likelihood of developing bipolar disorder or serve as a trigger for the first episode include:

  • Addiction to drugs or alcohol
  • Periods of severe stress, such as the loss of a loved one or another terrible event
  • Having a first-degree family member, such as a parent or sibling, who suffers from bipolar disorder

There are several forms of bipolar and associated disorders. They may include mania, hypomania, and sadness. Symptoms may create unpredictability in mood and behavior, leading to substantial unhappiness and problems in life.

  • Bipolar I condition. You’ve experienced at least one manic episode, which may have been followed or preceded by hypomanic or significant depressive bouts. Mania may sometimes cause a disconnect from reality (psychosis).
  • Bipolar II disorder. You’ve experienced at least one severe depressive episode and one hypomanic episode, but no manic episode.
  • Cyclothymic disorder. You’ve experienced at least two years — or one year in adolescents and teens — of numerous spells of hypomania and depressive symptoms (though less severe than major depression).
  • Other kinds. These include, for example, bipolar and similar illnesses caused by drugs or alcohol, or by a medical condition such as Cushing’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or stroke.

Bipolar II condition is not a lesser variant of bipolar I disease, but rather a distinct diagnosis. While manic episodes in bipolar I disease may be severe and hazardous, persons with bipolar II disorder can remain depressed for prolonged periods of time, causing considerable disability.

How Wonder Years Can Help with Bipolar Disorder

Wonder Years can help you with initial diagnosis and treatment. Also, sometimes, parents and other treatment professionals such as psychiatrists, psychologists, and general care doctors, desire a new look at the diagnosis and therapy. Our expert staff at Wonder Years can assist you in assessing and providing a trustworthy second opinion. These examinations are as thorough as first evaluations and take roughly an hour. It is advised that you bring copies of earlier evaluations, psychiatric tests, hospital discharge summaries, and current prescriptions to your consultation.

Why Choose Wonder Years?

Collaboration with patients, family members, psychiatrists, teachers, therapists, and other care professionals is a primary goal at Wonder Years. This is done with a heavy focus on medication adherence and frequent conversation regarding diagnosis, medicines, treatment options, and possible pharmacological adverse effects.

Looking for diagnostic assessments and second opinions? Book an appointment with us today!