Ancient Perspectives on the Disorder
Bipolar disorder (BD) has been prevalent in many people since the ancient era. Greeks and Romans conducted observations specific to their times, and the outcomes served as the basis for modern diagnostic standards. Individuals have been acquiring BD symptoms for thousands of years, which served as a starting point for professionals to research it and ensure identification and treatment.
Ancient Greek society recognized many cases of this disorder, with two levels defined: melancholia and mania (Kamal et al., 2022). These definitions helped doctors and professors of that period to make observations and to establish the main diagnostic standards pursued today. They are as follows: body’s humor disparity causes mania and melancholia; excess of black and yellow bile (Kamal et al., 2022).
Therefore, all the mentioned aspects improved symptoms from ancient times, when doctors first accumulated knowledge and passed it down to the next generations. Modern studies are based on this initial research and investigate the consequences of BD diagnostics and their validity (Kessing et al., 2021). Various groundworks elaborate on the problem of improving standards, maintaining a high level of relevance.
Signs and Symptoms
One of the most essential facets of the given research is the successful treatment of common signs of BD. Among different types of therapy, family-based and inpatient therapies are highlighted, with the former reported to be more effective (Kamal et al., 2022). It is also crucial to prevent the disorder among patients, which can be achieved through psychotherapy and Lithium administration (Kamal et al., 2022).
People who suffer from BD are prone to depression exacerbation, which needs treatment and clinical intervention through psychotherapy. It is necessary to analyze the most common signs of BD to ensure adequate care. The first group is a manic behavioral episode, which includes joy or irritation, excessive activeness, insomnia, fast and incoherent talkativeness, desire to work a lot, and strong appetite (National Institute of Mental Health, 2023). The second group is depressive behavior episodes and involves sadness, anxiety, sleeping disorders, inability to recall something, poor concentration, and an indifferent attitude (National Institute of Mental Health, 2023). Consequently, these symptoms help determine the initial steps in an appropriate treatment plan for a patient.
Causes
Regarding the fact that BD has been actual since ancient times till today, it is crucial to emphasize the point that the disorder should be progressively researched in the future to gain better outcomes and even more effective therapy. At this stage, childhood trauma plays a decisive role because it is one of the most powerful aspects that create, nourish, and evolve BD in affected individuals. Emotional abuse caused to a child affects their mental state and generates psychological trauma that usually mutates to BD and its harsh outcomes (Hett et al., 2022). This outlook must be carefully researched in the future, as current investigations present the lack of interventions based on childhood trauma, which creates gaps in treatment processes.
Patient Education
All the mentioned points suggest that the understanding of the problem among patients must be enhanced. For this reason, a psychoeducational strategy is applied to provide essential information to patients with BD or their relatives (Rabelo et al., 2021). It improves overall comprehension and helps identify the first signs of the disorder. Psychoeducational strategies provide patients with tools to recognize their mood episodes, increase understanding of the disease, identify symptoms, and signal the need for early interventions (Rabelo et al., 2021). Consequently, this kind of self-education is crucial because it promotes a deeper analysis of BD and its enhanced treatment process.
References
Hett, D., Etain, B., & Marwaha, S. (2022). Childhood trauma in bipolar disorder: New targets for future interventions. BJPsych Open, 8(4).
Kamal, Z. M., Dutta, S., Rahman, S., Etando, A., Hasan, E., Nahar, S. N., Wan Ahmad Fakuradzi, W. F. S., Sinha, S., Haque, M., & Ahmad, R. (2022). Therapeutic application of Lithium in Bipolar Disorders: A brief review. Cureus, 14(9).
Kessing, L. V., González-Pinto, A., Fagiolini, A., Bechdolf, A., Reif, A., Yildiz, A., Etain, B., Henry, C., Severus, E., Reininghaus, E. Z., Morken, G., Goodwin, G. M., Scott, J., Geddes, J. R., Rietschel, M., Landén, M., Manchia, M., Bauer, M., Martinez-Cengotitabengoa, M.,… Vieta, E. (2021). DSM-5 and ICD-11 criteria for bipolar disorder: Implications for the prevalence of bipolar disorder and validity of the diagnosis – A narrative review from the ECNP bipolar disorders network. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 47, 54-61.
National Institute of Mental Health (2023). Bipolar Disorder.
Rabelo, J. L., Cruz, B. F., Ferreira, J. D. R., Viana, B. M., & Barbosa, I. G. (2021). Psychoeducation in bipolar disorder: A systematic review. World journal of psychiatry, 11(12), 1407–1424.