Ailments and Situations - Manic-Depressive Disorder - Causes and What to Expect

Causes:

There are several possible causes of manic-depressive disorder, that can range from circumstantial events, to neurotransmitter imbalances, to toxicity. Manic-depressive disorders may also be attributable to disturbed serotonin metabolism.

What to Expect:

A full blown manic attack requires hospitalization. During the mania phase, patients may hurt themselves or others.

The standard treatment of manic-depressive disorder is lithium, which is highly effective in stabilizing mood and is especially useful in preventing the manic phase. Lithium is a naturally occurring substance that manic-depressives need in higher doses. Often, a combination of drugs are used, such as antidepressants that can often induce mania and hypomania. It is therefore very difficult to effectively control the lows in bipolar depressives with drug therapy.