Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, manic-depressive disorder, manic-depressive illness, bipolar mood disorder, and/ or bipolar affective disorder is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) as a chronic mood disorder. The Mayo Clinic explains that mood disorders are characterized by a distortion of one’s general emotional state and/ or mood that is inconsistent with the current circumstances and interferes with one’s ability to function. Bipolar disorder is specifically characterized by noticeable, unprovoked, sometimes extreme, changes in mood and behavior, that typically present as severe episodic mood swings, shifting between emotional highs (manias) to emotional lows (depressions) with intervals of stable moods. Medical News Today explains that the symptoms of bipolar disorder can affect a person’s energy levels, activity, social network, financial situation, sleep, behaviors, judgment, and family life. The symptoms and severity of symptoms will vary from person to person and may shift over time.
Memory-Related Effects
Memory is defined in psychology as the “faculty of encoding, storing, and retrieving information.” Psychologists have found that memory includes the following three important categories:
- Sensory memory: a brief storage of information for a short period of time that allows people to retain impressions of sensory information after the original stimulus has ceased
- Short-term memory: stores a limited amount of information in an active, readily accessible state, temporarily
- Long-term memory: a vast store of knowledge and a record of prior events that can be retrieved consciously (explicit memory) or unconsciously (implicit memory)
People with bipolar disorder often struggle with the ability to think coherently and/ or suffer from memory loss. These memory-related symptoms are referred to as “brain fog” or a “bipolar blackout,” where the person remains conscious but they are unable to recall the memories during their high and low periods due to the rapid volatility of their mood swings. A 2017 study found that manic episodes can increase bipolar memory loss due to cognitive fatigue. According to a systematic review published in Frontiers in Psychology, some people with bipolar disorder reported cognitive dysfunction related to executive functioning, verbal, and visuospatial episodic memory, working memory, verbal learning, information processing speed, sustained attention, and sensorimotor performance.
Treatment In Calabasas
Calabasas is a city in California. It is a well-known suburb of Los Angeles, located west of the San Fernando Valley and north of the Santa Monica Mountains. Over the past decade, the city of Calabasas has grown in its reputation for luxury as well as for privacy which makes it a hidden gem for residential living for society’s elite, and one of the most desirable destinations in Los Angeles County. It is also home to a plethora of highly qualified mental health clinicians providing an array of therapeutic services and treatment options.
The information above is provided for the use of informational purposes only. The above content is not to be substituted for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, as in no way is it intended as an attempt to practice medicine, give specific medical advice, including, without limitation, advice concerning the topic of mental health. As such, please do not use any material provided above to disregard professional advice or delay seeking treatment.
