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Bipolar psychosis is a complication of bipolar disorder that can cause hallucinations and delusional thoughts. It is often attributed to genetics, but environmental factors can also play a role. Early diagnosis and treatment are important, and antipsychotic drugs have revolutionized care, although they can have undesirable side effects.
Bipolar psychosis is a complication of bipolar disorder, which is a mental condition classified by sudden, extreme episodes of mania that can follow periods of profound depression. However, not everyone who suffers from this disorder will suffer from psychological neurosis. When it does occur, it usually happens during a manic or depressive phase of the illness. The patient affected by the disorder can completely lose touch with reality and normal reasoning skills are hampered. When a mental illness such as bipolar psychosis is present, hallucinations or delusional thoughts usually occur. Psychotic symptoms can quickly escalate into extreme, often dangerous behaviors.
If medical intervention is not provided soon after the onset of psychosis, it can be difficult to fight, especially since the person often becomes resistant to treatment and the condition can quickly spiral out of control. An individual may believe they have extraordinary powers, such as the ability to fly, and may attempt to do outrageous things such as jumping off the roof of a building. This example is just one of the many ways that delusions have the ability to quickly escalate into a serious situation with very little warning.
The cause of mood disorders such as bipolar psychosis is often attributed to genetics. A patient with a parent who suffers from the disorder is more likely to have it than someone whose family members do not suffer from psychiatric instability. Sometimes, environmental factors or a traumatic event that occurs in a child’s early formative years can cause the condition. Regardless of the cause, early diagnosis is often the key to stabilizing the patient and controlling the erratic behavior.
Prior to the 1950s, bipolar psychosis was not well understood by medical professionals. Patients exhibiting psychotic behaviors were usually admitted to a psychiatric hospital and given powerful sedatives, often driving them into a catatonic state. Restraint devices have often been used to strap them securely to hospital beds or wheelchairs. The goal was usually to contain the individual rather than cure them. In the mid-1950s, the advent of the drug chlorpromazine was incorporated into treatment plans and the care of patients diagnosed with mental illness was revolutionized. The drug has generally improved the quality of life of people who have suffered from the disorder.
Since then, several types of antipsychotic drugs have been used to treat bipolar psychosis. While the medicine is often effective, there are several undesirable side effects that can preclude its use and make it difficult for the patient to voluntarily undergo treatment. Indeed, some of the side effects may continue to affect the patient even after the treatment has been stopped. An example of such a symptom is the uncontrolled repetitive movement of a patient’s tongue or mouth, known as tardive dyskinesia.
Other serious side effects of the antipsychotic drug may include kidney failure, irregular blood pressure or rapid heartbeat, abnormally rapid heartbeat. Psychiatrists often discontinue the drug if these bothersome symptoms arise due to the potential risk of death. Many times, alternative medications will be considered to stabilize the patient.
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