Alternating phases of excitement and depression, bipolar disorders affect between 1 and 2.5% of the population. Appropriate therapeutic responses exist today, but patients mainly suffer from delayed diagnosis and a risk of premature mortality.
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HOW TO DIAGNOSE BIPOLAR DISORDERS?
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THE INFERNAL CYCLE OF EPISODES OF EUPHORIA AND DEPRESSION
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If bipolarity has recently aroused renewed attention from the media and the general public, it is nothing recent. Formerly identified under the term manic-depressive illness, it is now preferred to qualify as bipolar disorder because of the variety of forms it can adopt. The mood disorders that characterize it are manifested by the alternation of euphoric (or manic) phases and depressive phases. The duration of episodes can vary from a few days to a few weeks or months. Knowing the intensity and duration of these acute episodes, and identifying the symptoms that accompany the disease is essential in determining what form of bipolarity the patient suffers from.
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DAILY DISABLED SYMPTOMS
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Bipolarity is a constraining disease affecting daily life. It can concern different areas such as cognitive faculties - by disrupting memory, attention or even the executive functions of patients -, sleep - insomnia without fatigue can be the sign of a manic episode - or even manifest itself through excessive fatigue. It is also characterized by the impossibility of being able to manage one's emotions, and this emotional hyperreactivity is embodied in irritable, angry behaviors. It can also give rise to anxiety disorders.
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AN ALARMING DIAGNOSIS DELAY
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But it is the delay in diagnosis that penalizes patients the most. The time elapsed between a first episode and the initiation of an appropriate treatment is estimated at 10 years on average. This discrepancy is explained by the ignorance of the disease on the part of doctors, who often associate the symptoms of bipolar disorder with those of depression. So now, 40% of people with depression could actually suffer from bipolarity without being diagnosed.
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