Can Bipolar Disorder be Cured? By: Abhilash Katigiri

What Is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder, when you think about it many things may come to mind, but in reality, a lot of people don't know the complete details about this disorder. It has been a very mysterious condition in many people and scientists and doctors are finding new things about it to this day. So far what we know is that Bipolar disorder is a condition that features extreme shifts in mood and fluctuations in energy and activity levels that can make day-to-day living difficult. Bipolar disorder is something that takes an effect on the brain and how a person feels. It was previously known as manic depression and is a serious mental illness that, if left untreated, can destroy relationships, career, and seriously affect academic performance. In some cases, it can lead to suicide. An estimated 2.9 percent of Americans have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and 83 percent of cases are classed as severe. Diagnosis for bipolar disorder most commonly occurs between the ages of 15 and 25 years, but it can happen at any age. It affects both males and females equally. This disability is extremely dangerous due to the fact that it clouds the victim’s sense of reality and can cause them to have hallucinations. Bipolar disorder, according to its name, basically creates two personalities in a person. This may sound like the disorder of having a split personality but it does not have two completely different personalities. The person with bipolar disorder goes back and forth between extreme mood swings which can mix up the way the person feels. This is an extremely scary disorder and not the primary cause is also terrifying. It's true, doctors don’t know the absolute primary cause of this disorder. indeed, like all psychological disorders, bipolar disorder is a complex condition with multiple contributing factors, including Genetic: Bipolar disorder tends to run in families, so researchers believe there is a genetic predisposition for the disorder.

How It Affects the Body and Treatment

Bipolar disorder is a very dangerous disability that has a drastic effect on the brain and emotion of the victim. All of us have felt down, upset, tired, scared, happy, and excited before. We experience these emotions on a standard day to day basis. But people who are victims of Bipolar disorder experience these emotions on a much bigger scale and move back and forth between these emotions not knowing which are which and this could do a lot of psychological damage to the brain. Medications are used to treat bipolar disorder. The types of medications prescribed are based on the particular symptoms of a person. There are Mood stabilizers, which you typically need mood-stabilizing medication to control manic or hypomanic episodes. There are antipsychotics, where id symptoms of depression or mania persist despite treatment with other medications, adding an antipsychotic drug such as olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, aripiprazole, ziprasidone, lurasidone or asenapine may help. Doctors may add an antidepressant to help manage depression. Because an antidepressant can sometimes trigger a manic episode, it's usually prescribed along with a mood stabilizer or antipsychotic. Psychotherapy is an important part of bipolar disorder treatment and is given in an individual, family, or group settings. Different types of therapy can be given to treat bipolar disorder. Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy helps with stabilizing different activities and daily rhythms in a person’s day like sleeping, waking, and eating. A constant routine is given a better opportunity to stabilize mood management. People with bipolar disorder can benefit from solidifying a daily routine for sleep, diet, and exercise. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, this type of therapy mainly focuses on identifying unhealthy, negative beliefs and behaviors and replacing them with healthy, positive ones. It can help identify what triggers your bipolar episodes. You can also learn effective strategies to manage stress and adapt to upsetting situations.

Is There Really a Full-Fledged Cure?

As of now, no, there is no absolute cure for bipolar disorder but doctors and researchers are finding more optimal ways to treat this disorder and are improving therapy and medications with new information and research from experiments. In the near future, it is possible to find a cure if doctors can find the cause and the process of formation of the bipolar disorder, but till then, the optimum way to treat this disorder is with medication, therapy, personalized treatment and a lot of love and care!

Work Cited

Burgess, L. (2019, February 01). Is bipolar disorder curable? Treatment and long term management. Retrieved June 30, 2020, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324349

Bipolar disorder. (2018, January 31). Retrieved June 30, 2020, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355961

Tartakovsky, M. (2020, March 12). Bipolar Disorder Fact Sheet. Retrieved June 30, 2020, from