Patients that experience an episodes of mania or hypomania are extremely happy and they feel really good. They are often very busy with everything around them and they believe they can successfully achieve everything. They have also no boundaries when it comes to flirting, shopping or undertaking dangerous activities because they believe they can do it all. Obviously this can lead to serious problems socially, financially and physically as well.
Patients with manic depressive disorder endure episodes of extreme happiness (mania, hypomania) and episodes of extreme sadness. Between these episodes the mood of the patient is often normal and one can function properly in society.
After an episode of mania it will not take long before a person gets an episode of extreme sadness which is called depression. When you are depressed you have a feeling that your are not worthy to live and that nothing around you is interesting enough to take action. It feels like all energy is sucked out of your body and even brushing your teeth can be to much effort. That is why depressed patients often lay in bed all day and don’t want to come out or go out.
Between these episodes a person can live quite normally and his mood can be normal compared to other people. If patients take the right medication and they see they psychiatrist or doctor frequently than they can take back control over their lives. But the problem with manic depressive disorder is the fact that on average it takes 5 years before a patient is properly diagnoses. In most cases a patient is diagnosed with primary depression and only when a psychiatrist will find out there are episodes of mania will he change the diagnose to manic depressive disorder.
The problem with that is that patients often don’t seek a doctor when they are in an episode of mania because they will feel very, very good. Only when they start feeling sad again could they decide to see a doctor and that is why they are diagnosed improperly.
The primary treatment options are medication and cognitive therapy. With cognitive therapy a patient can learn the manic depressive disorder symptoms and in this way know when a new episode of mania could start. When a patient makes a proper treatment plan with the help of his doctor or psychiatrist than in most cases he can live a normal life.
