By Dr. Fiona Bisshop

Once known as “manic depression”, bipolar disorder is a common and serious condition.  The key features are that the sufferer experiences periods of severe depression, alternating with periods of mania or hypomania. 

During periods of mania, the person may feel elated or high, be quite creative, spend a lot of money, and have trouble sleeping.  Their thoughts will often be racing and they can find it difficult to stay on one topic for long, their speech may be very fast and appear rather pressured.  Manic episodes also tend to heighten sexual drive, leading to rather enthusiastic and indiscriminate sexual activity.  This may lead to behaviours that put the person at higher risk of exposing themselves to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.  They can also experience psychotic symptoms such as delusions and confused and disordered thoughts.  When a person is manic it can be difficult for them to understand that there is anything wrong with them at all.

For some people depression is the predominant phase, and for others, they are more often manic.  Some people experience “mixed” episodes, where depression and mania occur simultaneously.  People with bipolar often go for years or even their whole lives without being diagnosed, or are incorrectly diagnosed with depression, and so miss out on effective treatment.  This can have a terrible impact on their ability to hold down a job, maintain relationships and lead a fulfilling life.  People suffering from bipolar disorder have a very high risk of successful suicide.

Treatment for bipolar makes a big difference to how this condition can affect someone’s life.  Medications that act as mood stabilisers are the mainstay of treatment, but standard antidepressants can often make things worse, so getting the right diagnosis is very important.

Counselling is very useful for helping someone understand their condition, and to learn ways of being able to monitor their moods, cope with the symptoms, and develop skills to help them manage depressive and manic episodes.

For more information, ask your doctor or psychologist, or visit www.bipolar.com.au or www.blackdoginstitute.org.au

Dr Fiona Bishop is is an experienced LGBT doctor. She works at the Central Brunswick Medical Centre.