The Covid-19 crisis is causing a “marked deterioration in people’s mental health” with those suffering from bipolar disorder being especially hard hit, according to new research the charity Bipolar. In the past, bipolar depression was lumped in with regular depression, but a growing body of research suggests that there are significant differences between the two, especially when it comes to recommended treatments. Most people with bipolar depression are not helped by antidepressants. In fact, there is a risk that antidepressants can make bipolar disorder worse—triggering mania or hypo-mania, causing rapid cycling between mood states, or interfering with other mood stabilizing drugs. Bipolar disorder can look very different in different people.
The symptoms vary widely in their pattern, severity, and frequency. Some people are more prone to either mania or depression, while others alternate equally between the two types of episodes. Some have frequent mood disruptions, while others experience only a few over a lifetime. The impact could be even more severe and long‐lasting in persons with BD. The present emergency is disrupting both public and private mental health services, and most patients cannot access outpatient care. Under threat are treatment continuity, alliance and adherence, and patient‐driven recovery progress—while the pandemic simultaneously escalates stress levels.
Alarming news reports about the economic and human costs add heightened stress at the same time as social distancing measures reduce opportunities for exercise, sunlight exposure, participation in meaningful activities and social engagement.
Job loss and financial uncertainty add more strain, potentially triggering anxiety as well as mood symptoms—again, in a population already vulnerable.The survey also revealed that 65 per cent of people living with bipolar reported experiencing depressive symptoms since the onset of the crisis, while the number of people saying that their mood was stable has more than halved, from 35 per cent to just 16 per cent. The number of people reporting being in a “balanced” mood range also fell, from 69 per cent to 42.
Serene Retreat is one of the leading Addiction and Mental Health Treatment provider based in Malaysia with its branches locally and abroad which is working for the betterment of the people and working on their treatment processes with all the SOPs in practice and continue to bring healthy positive changes in their lifestyles.
For more information about our treatment programs you can reach us via Call/Whatsapp +60 14-687 2268 or visit our website www.sereneretreat.com.my.
Image Credit: https://www.mumbailive.com/en/society/spif-report-shows-therapists-observe-an-increase-in-cases-with-self-harm-and-suicidal-thoughts-due-to-covid19-pandemic-55472
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