Homeopathic Treatment of Mania
Treatment of Mania
Homeopathic Treatment of Mania
Mania is a state of abnormally elevated or irritable mood, arousal, and/ or energy levels. In a sense, it is the opposite of depression. Mania is a criterion for certain psychiatric diagnoses.
A manic episode is not a disorder in and of itself, but rather is a part of a type of bipolar disorder.
A manic episode is characterized by period of time where an elevated, expansive or notably irritable mood is present, lasting for at least one week. These feelings must be sufficiently severe to cause difficulty or impairment in occupational, social, educational or other important functioning and can not be better explained by a mixed episode.
Cause of Mania:
The exact cause of manic phase of bipolar disorder is unknown, but several factors seem to be involved in causing and triggering bipolar episodes:
- Biological differences: People with bipolar disorder appear to have physical changes in their brains. The significance of these changes is still uncertain but may eventually help pinpoint causes.
- Neurotransmitters:An imbalance in naturally occurring brain chemicals called neurotransmitters seems to play a significant role in bipolar disorder and other mood disorders.
- Hormones: Imbalanced hormones may be involved in causing or triggering bipolar disorder.
- Inherited traits:Bipolar disorder is more common in people who have a blood relative (such as a sibling or parent) with the condition. Researchers are trying to find genes that may be involved in causing bipolar disorder.
- Environment: Stress, abuse, significant loss or other traumatic experiences may play a role in bipolar disorder.
Symptoms of Mania:
Symptoms also can not be the result of substance use or abuse (e.g., alcohol, drugs,medications) or caused by a general medical condition. Three or more of the following symptoms must be present:
- Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity.
- Decreased need for sleep (e.g., one feels rested after only 3 hours of sleep).
- More talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking.
- Flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing.
- Attention is easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant items.
- Increase in goal-directed activity (either socially, at work or school, or sexually) or psychomotor agitation.
- Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (e.g., engaging in unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or foolish business investments).
Manic phase of bipolar disorder:
Signs and symptoms of the manic or hypomanic phase of bipolar disorder can include:
- Euphoria
- Inflated self-esteem
- Poor judgment
- Rapid speech
- Racing thoughts
- Aggressive behavior
- Agitation or irritation
- Increased physical activity
- Risky behavior
- Spending sprees or unwise financial choices
- Increased drive to perform or achieve goals
- Increased sex drive
- Decreased need for sleep
- Easily distracted
- Careless or dangerous use of drugs or alcohol
- Frequent absences from work or school
- Delusions or a break from reality (psychosis)
- Poor performance at work or school
Treatment of Mania:
Bipolar disorder requires lifelong treatment, even during periods when you feel better. Treatment is usually guided by a psychiatrist skilled in treating the condition. You may have a treatment team that also includes psychologists, social workers and psychiatric nurses. The primary treatments for bipolar disorder include medications; individual, group or family psychological counseling (psychotherapy); or education and support groups.
Homeopathic Treatment of Mania:
Conventional management of bipolar disorder works towards suppressing the symptoms rather than permanently treating them. The homeopathic approach, on the other hand, arouses the patient’s inherent capability to reinstate balance and can both manage symptoms and prevent relapse. Homeopathy acknowledges the psychological basis of somatic symptoms. The constitutional approach is a unique traditional modus operandi, which takes into account a person’s overall nature, individual qualities, and outlook towards life. Homeopathic remedies help stabilize the patient’s mood and reduce the frequency and intensity of manic and depressive episodes. Homeopathic remedies naturally facilitate the body’s ability to restore itself to a healthy state of balance.
Allopathic Treatment of Mania:
Medications for bipolar disorder include those that prevent the extreme highs and lows that can occur with bipolar disorder (mood stabilizers) and medications that help with depression or anxiety.Medications for bipolar disorder include:
- Lithium: Lithium (Lithobid, others) is effective at stabilizing mood and preventing the extreme highs and lows of certain categories of bipolar disorder and has been used for many years.
- Anticonvulsants: These mood-stabilizing medications include valproic acid (Depakene, Stavzor), divalproex (Depakote) and lamotrigine (Lamictal).
- Antipsychotics: Certain antipsychotic medications, such as aripiprazole (Abilify), olanzapine (Zyprexa), risperidone (Risperdal) and quetiapine (Seroquel), may help people who don't benefit from anticonvulsants..
- Antidepressants: Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may recommend you take an antidepressant. In some people with bipolar disorder, antidepressants can trigger manic episodes, but may be OK if taken along with a mood stabilizer.
- Symbyax: This medication combines the antidepressant fluoxetine and the antipsychotic olanzapine. It works as a depression treatment and a mood stabilizer
- Benzodiazepines: These anti-anxiety medications may help with anxiety and improve sleep.
Psychotherapy for Mania:
Psychotherapy is another vital part of bipolar disorder treatment.
Several types of therapy may be helpful. These include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy : This is a common form of individual therapy for bipolar disorder. The focus of cognitive behavioral therapy is identifying unhealthy, negative beliefs and behaviors and replacing them with healthy, positive ones. It can help identify what triggers your bipolar episodes. You also learn effective strategies to manage stress and to cope with upsetting situations.
- Psychoeducation: Counseling to help you learn about bipolar disorder (psychoeducation) can help you and your loved ones understand bipolar disorder. Knowing what's going on can help you get the best support and treatment, and help you and your loved ones recognize warning signs of mood swings.
- Family therapy:Family therapy involves seeing a psychologist or other mental health provider along with your family members. Family therapy can help identify and reduce stress within your family. It can help your family learn how to communicate better, solve problems and resolve conflicts.
- Group therapy:Group therapy provides a forum to communicate with and learn from others in a similar situation. It may also help build better relationship skills.
- Other therapies: Other therapies that have been studied with some evidence of success include early identification and therapy for worsening symptoms (prodrome detection) and therapy to identify and resolve problems with your daily routine and interpersonal relationships (interpersonal and social rhythm therapy).
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation:
This treatment applies rapid pulses of a magnetic field to the head. It's not clear exactly how this helps, but it appears to have an antidepressant effect. However, not everyone is helped by this therapy, and it's not yet clear who is a good candidate for this type of treatment. More research is needed. The most serious potential side effect is a seizure.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT):
Electroconvulsive therapy can be effective for people who have episodes of severe depression or feel suicidal or people who haven't seen improvements in their symptoms despite other treatment. With ECT, electrical currents are passed through your brain. Researchers don't fully understand how ECT works. But it's thought that the electric shock causes changes in brain chemistry that leads to improvements in your mood.
Hospitalization:
In some case, people with manic phase benefit from hospitalization. Getting psychiatric treatment at a hospital can help keep you calm and safe and stabilize your mood, whether you're having a manic episode or a deep depression. Partial hospitalization or day treatment programs also are options to consider. These programs provide the support and counseling you need while you get symptoms under control.