Mania question

[metalhead1]

"You have to remember that BiPolar is a chemical illness and the chemicals can build up to toxic levels."
i just read this randomly online on a forum and cant find anything to back it up.

its a little concerning that i constant racing thoughts from the moments i wake up till i get to fall sleep, so if
there are "toxins" building up then uh yeah im pretty sure id be full of them. any insights? I have these
thoughts while depressed or while feeling normal. I rarely get pleasure inducing manic episode like in the past,but the thoughts are as if im always in that manic state. its frustrating

 

[n3ophy7e]

Hang on, hang on

There is a big difference between "toxins" and toxic levels of neurotransmitters.

And even having said that, I don't believe that "toxic" is the correct word that should've been used in whatever forum/thread you read that in.

Bipolar disorder is indeed a chemical disorder (or illness, if you would like to call it that), but it doesn't really involve the "build-up" of any chemicals, just an imbalance in the levels of chemicals that are seen in normal brains. (Please note that I use the word normal purely on a scientific level, not on a personal level).

metalhead, how much accurate information have you read about bipolar disorder? What has your doctor/psychiatrist told you? Please be aware that the internet, whilst it can be useful, also contains A LOT of false/misleading information. Don't believe everything you read. Do your own research, speak to your doctor in person, ask them about any concerns you have, rather than believing something some random person on the net says

There are a lot of people here in The Dark Side who have bipolar and/or are quite well-informed about the disorder so please feel free to ask any questions. We also have the Bipolar Disorder megathread so please have a read of that if you like

 

[nAON]

Hang on, hang on
Bipolar disorder is indeed a chemical disorder

inb4 arguement about causes of psychological problems :D

But yeah, there still isn't a unanimously agreed on consensus about the definite causes of problems like this, so it's generally assumed that it can come about from a variety of things, genetics, psychological trauma, or as you said neurotransmitter and chemical imbalances.

That said - using drugs can give you a vague insight into what psychological problems are like - I doubt there are many heavy stimulant users that have never been in psychosis.

If you really think you have some sort of problem, it's always better to see a psychiatrist or doctor about rather than trying to rely too much on the internet (intellectuals and wonderful people though we are :D)

 

[Syrax]

It has been said that there's a progressive (or regressive) nature to untreated Bipolar Disorder.

Where...

The more manic episodes you have, the worse future episodes become. So I guess the idea is that there's some proposed danger in allowing yourself (or someone else) to continually experience the manic episodes without treating them. Because the disorder gets worse over time if left untreated and the manic episodes often become more frequent.

Maybe people who actually have Bipolar Disorder can shed more light on it. Personally, I understand this disorder way way less than other mental illnesses.

Anyways, I've heard that continually having manic episodes and allowing the disorder to get worse and worse has a physically damaging effect on the brain. And if I'm not mistaken, I think it's Lithium (?) that can somehow repair this damage, or prevent it from continuing or something.

I don't know your personal situation. But it seems like the degree of mania that a person experiences is going to control how damaging it is to them.

My guess is that this kind of damage results in people who have severe manic episodes relatively frequently over many years. Like the kind of people who have had severe Bipolar Disorder from a young age, under poor life conditions, with no treatment. It's not unreasonable to think that these people would experience some level of physical damage to their brain after long term exposure to heavy manic states.

 

[n3ophy7e]

^^ Very good points Syrax, thank you

there still isn't a unanimously agreed on consensus about the definite causes of problems like this, so it's generally assumed that it can come about from a variety of things, genetics, psychological trauma, or as you said neurotransmitter and chemical imbalances.

Oh absolutely! But regardless of what the cause is, certain neurotransmitters in the brain of a person with bipolar are not in their usual balance, which then creates the symptoms they have. Therefore it is a neurochemical disorder, i.e. the chemicals are not ordered. You're right, we don't 100% know what causes a person to develop bipolar disorder to begin with, and there are likely to be several different reasons, but I didn't say anything about that

 

[nAON]

I just wanted to sound smart, now you've gone and ruined it

:D

 

[paranoid android]

I think certain neurotransmitters when affected by various drugs definitely can trigger mania. The worst drug Ive taken for causing mania was effexor (a SNRI) and i was prescribed that before i was diagnosed bipolar. Other anti-depressants that effect serotonin such as mirtazapine have caused me to act abit wacky but oddly enough amitriptyline (a tricyclic serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) didn't trigger mania very much. Alcohol is maybe the worst drug for my moods so i avoid it like the plague now. Cocaine is also very bad for screwing with my head and people can notice it in me for awile after a coke/crack binge. Stimulants are generally awful for anyone with bipolar anyway.

The levels of neurotransmitters won't go toxic if that's what your asking but you can get a kind of kindling effect where the longer you leave it untreated the worse your mood swings get. I have found the worse i let my moods get the harder it is to treat them.

Right now i take lamotrigine as my mood stabilizer, wellbutrin as my anti-depressant (DNRI that does not trigger mania for me) and zyprexa or another anti-psychotic if i need it. I'm fairly stable most days unless I'm really stressed out.

 

[allusional]

just got done with a chapter on bipolar in an abnormal psych class. a genetic component is pretty much a given by how many studies support/confirm a hypothesis of genetics being a factor.

a research area that was mentioned is the similarity between some aspects of epilepsy and bipolar disorder and the fact a lot of epilepsy drugs help bipolar. some researchers think that bipolar and epilepsy might share similar things called the kindling effect and sychrony. i don't quite grasp all that but my lecturer talking about it as research points likely means its lacking proof. thought i'd throw it out there anyways.