What Is Bipolar Disorder?

An Overview of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that causes episodes of depression (sadness and hopelessness) and episodes of mania (severely elevated mood). This disorder affects how a person feels and acts. No one knows exactly what causes bipolar disorder. Doctors and researchers believe that it may be caused by chemicals imbalances in the brain.¹

People with bipolar disorder will have times when their mood is “normal” and balanced or close to that. But they will also have times when their mood changes are extreme for a period of time. These are called bipolar disorder “mood episodes.”²

Types of Bipolar Disorder Episodes

People with bipolar disorder have two different mood extremes: “depression” and “mania.”

• Depression is a low kind of mood. During an episode of depression, people feel sad or empty and lose interest in doing things that they usually enjoyed. It’s also common to be slower in thinking and movements. A person may have less energy and need more sleep. They also may have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep²
• Mania is a high mood. During a manic high, people feel unusually great. It’s common to be overly talkative, have lots of energy, and need little sleep²

An episode of depression or mania can last for days, weeks, months, or sometimes even years.¹ A person with untreated bipolar disorder may have more than 10 total episodes of depression and mania during his or her lifetime.³

Between episodes, a person may have mild symptoms or no obvious symptoms at all.¹ But even when a person is free of symptoms, he or she still has bipolar disorder.³

Who Gets Bipolar Disorder—and When

The number of women and men who get bipolar disorder is about the same.² More than two out of three people who are diagnosed have one or more close relatives—like a mother or father—with a mood disorder. This mood disorder could be bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder (also called unipolar depression).⁴ Usually people first notice they have symptoms of bipolar disorder when they are teenagers or young adults.¹

Women with bipolar disorder may have more depressive episodes than manic episodes, while men are more likely to experience a manic episode. Men are more likely to start with a manic episode whereas a woman’s first episode is usually a depressive one.²

Why Medical Help Is So Important

Bipolar disorder is a serious medical illness. It is not the kind of medical condition that a person should try to manage on his or her own.³ Depression can lead to suicide.² Mania can worsen to a “psychotic” state (this means the person can become out of touch with reality).²

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

This is not a complete summary of safety information. Please discuss the full Prescribing Information with your health care provider.

SEROQUEL is approved for depressive episodes and acute manic episodes in bipolar disorder; long-term maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder in combination with lithium or divalproex; and schizophrenia.

Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis (having lost touch with reality due to confusion and memory loss) treated with this type of medicine are at an increased risk of death, compared to placebo (sugar pill). SEROQUEL is not approved for treating these patients.

Antidepressants have increased the risk of suicidal thoughts and actions in some children, teenagers, and young adults. Patients of all ages starting treatment should be watched closely for worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or actions, unusual changes in behavior, agitation, and irritability. Families and caregivers should watch patients daily and report these symptoms immediately to the physician. SEROQUEL is not approved for patients under the age of 18 years.

• High blood sugar and diabetes have been reported with SEROQUEL and medicines like it. If you have diabetes or risk factors such as obesity or a family history of diabetes, ask your doctor about checking your blood sugar before starting SEROQUEL and regularly throughout treatment. If you develop symptoms of high blood sugar or diabetes, such as excessive thirst or hunger, increased urination, or weakness, contact your doctor. Complications from diabetes can be serious and even life threatening
• A rare, but potentially fatal, side effect reported with SEROQUEL and medicines like it is neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). Tell your doctor if you have very high fever; rigid muscles; shaking; confusion; sweating; changes in pulse, heart rate, or blood pressure; or muscle pain and weakness because treatment should be stopped if you have NMS
• Another serious side effect reported with SEROQUEL and medicines like it is tardive dyskinesia (TD)—uncontrollable movements of the face, tongue, or other parts of the body. TD may become permanent, and the risk of TD is believed to increase as the length of time on and the amount of these medications increase. While TD can develop in patients taking low doses for short periods, this is much less common. There is no known treatment for TD, but it may go away partially or completely if treatment is stopped
• Before starting treatment, tell your doctor if you have high cholesterol or have a history of, or are at risk for, seizures or a low white blood cell (WBC) count. An eye exam for cataracts is recommended at the beginning of treatment and every 6 months thereafter. Suicidal thoughts or actions may occur in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia; tell your doctor if you have thoughts about death or suicide. During treatment, tell your doctor if you feel dizzy or lightheaded upon standing. Since drowsiness has been reported with SEROQUEL, you should not participate in activities such as driving or operating machinery until you know that you can do so safely. Avoid drinking alcohol while taking SEROQUEL because SEROQUEL increases the effects of alcohol. Avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated while taking SEROQUEL
• Common side effects: The most common side effects are dry mouth, sedation, drowsiness, dizziness, constipation, weakness, abdominal pain, sudden drop in blood pressure upon standing, sore throat, weight gain, sluggishness, high blood sugar, nasal congestion, abnormal liver tests, and upset stomach

Talk to your doctor about prescription SEROQUEL.
Click here for full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warnings.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

 

REFERENCES:

1. Keck PE, Perlis RH, Otto MW, Carpenter D, Ross R, Docherty JP. The Expert Consensus Guideline Series: Treatment of Bipolar Disorder 2004. A Postgraduate Medicine Special Report The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.; December 2004.
2. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2000.
3. American Psychiatric Association. Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients with Bipolar Disorder, Second Edition. American Psychiatric Association; 2002.
4. National Institute of Mental Health. Going to Extremes Bethesda MD: National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services; 2001. (NIH Publication No. 01-4595).

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