Bipolar 2 Diagnosis

Mood Disorders: Recognizing Bipolar 2 Disorders And Dealing With A Bipolar 2 Diagnosis.

Bipolar 2 diagnosis: The Symptoms of a Bipolar 2 Disorder Life can be difficult for individuals and families who are dealing with a bipolar 2 diagnosis. Bipolar 2 disorder is a mood disorder characterized by alternating hypo-manic and major depressive episodes. Symptoms of Hypo-manic episodes include rapid speech, good mood, little need for sleep, racing thoughts, overconfidence, and delusions . Some of the symptoms of major depressive episodes are sadness, anxiety, guilt, anger, chronic pain, and ideations of suicide. The key difference between Bipolar 1 and Bipolar 2 is the severity of the manic episodes. Bipolar 1 manics suffer from severe manic episodes that may require hospitalization while Bipolar 2 hypo-manic episodes are less severe.

Bipolar 2 is both relatively new and believed to be under diagnosed. The bipolar 2 diagnosis did not appear in the DSM IV, a guide published by the American Psychiatric Association to aid medical professionals in diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, until 1994. Bipolar 2 disorders are thought to be under diagnosed due to the dismissal of hypo-manic and mixed episode symptoms as high functioning. Bipolar 2 diagnosis: Common Treatments for a Bipolar 2 Disorder Due to Bipolar 2 being a fairly new disorder in the realm of medicine, their are few reliable treatments available. The most common prescription for a bipolar 2 diagnosis is drug therapy that includes mood stabilizers and possibly an SSRI.

(Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitor) Alternative treatments for a bipolar 2 diagnosis include a variety of therapies aimed at educating the ill and their families about the disorder's indications. A combination of drug and alternative therapies is probably the best overall treatment course for a bipolar 2 diagnosis. Many of the drug treatments are new, have negative side effects, and may stop working inexplicably. In these cases, patients with a diagnosed bipolar 2 disorder may rely on information gathered during therapy sessions to combat their illness with the help of their family and friends.