Bipolar disorder in men and women affects over five and a half million people in the United States alone. It is very serious, but also very treatable. Bipolar disorder, which is commonly referred to as manic-depressive illness is a mental disorder that is characterized by unusual swings in energy, mood, activity levels as well as an individual's ability to accomplish normal day to day tasks. While it's common for a person to go through ups and downs and weather good days and bad days, people with bipolar disorder swing from extreme instances of these feelings, often while feeling like they have no control over their actions and emotions.
Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder in men and women can be broken down into two phases. These are the manic phase and the depressive phase. the manic phase comes with symptoms like having a very elevated mood, hyperactivity, being easily distracted, reckless behavior and the general feeling of being very jumpy and on edge. the depressed phase brings you the polar opposite, with symptoms such as intense sadness, feeling worthless, difficulty concentrating, a lack of energy, and at times, thoughts of death and suicide. this disorder has been historically difficult to diagnose as loved ones assumed these two phases to be two different issues rather than the connected one that it is.
It has many of the same symptoms in both sexes, with a few notable differences. Bipolar disorder in men is usually developed at a much younger age than women with traditionally more severe symptoms. Men also are much more prone to manic episodes than women and therefore their subsequent symptoms as well, like reckless behavior for example. Men in a manic state will often act out through fighting, impulsive spending, and binge eating, drinking, and/or drug use.
Bipolar Disorder in Men and Addiction
Being that reckless behavior and displaying a lack of self control are two prominent symptoms of this mental illness, it should come as no surprise that substance abuse and bipolar disorder in men go hand in hand. Men suffering from this illness will often try and self-medicate through drugs and alcohol. For example, when a man with bipolar disorder is feeling restless and hyperactive in his manic state, he may abuse alcohol and sedatives to try and calm himself down. At the same time, a man experiencing a depressive episode will be known to abuse cocaine and methamphetamine in an attempt to lift his sagging spirit.
Abusing drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with a psychiatric condition will only further complicate bipolar disorder in men. Substance abuse and mental illness have a way of making each other worse. in the medical profession, these two co-occurring disorders are commonly referred to as a dual diagnosis. Experts agree that the most effective way to combat a dual diagnosis is to treat both illnesses simultaneously.
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