Bipolar disorder in adults
This page provides you with information about bipolar disorder.
The psychiatric services in Central Denmark Region treat bipolar disorder in these teams:
- AUH Psychiatry in Skejby: Klinik for Bipolar Sygdom (Clinic for Bipolar Disease)
- Regional Mental Health Services Horsens: Team for mani og depression, Psykiatrisk Klinik 2 (Mania and Depression Team, Psychiatric Clinic 2)
- Regional Mental Health Services Central Denmark Region: Team for affektive lidelser (Team for Affective Disorders) in Viborg and Team for Depression og Mani (Team for Depression and Mania) in Silkeborg
- Regional Mental Health Services Randers: Psykiatrisk Klinik 1 (Psychiatric Clinic 1) in Randers and Psykiatrisk Klinik, Rønde (Psychiatric Clinic, Rønde)
- Regional Mental Health Services Gødstrup: Team for Affektive Lidelser (Team for Affective Disorders)
Bipolar disorder is characterised in the individual experiencing delimited periods of:
- Mania
- Hypomania (mild form of mania)
- Depression
- or a mixed state (a state in which symptoms of mania or depression occur concurrently or quickly right after each other).
In between the periods of illness, the bipolar disorder sufferer will typically have stable periods in which he or she notices no or only light signs of illness.
Inheritance is of great significance in bipolar disorder. You cannot inherit the disease itself, but a vulnerability that means that you may perhaps develop the disease at some point.
Other conditions, such as various types of strain and/or stress, are also of importance to whether you develop the disease.
The greater the susceptibility you have inherited, the less strain it takes to trigger an episode of illness.
- The risk of developing bipolar disorder increases by 10% if your parents or siblings have the disease.
- The risk of developing bipolar disorder increases by 70-80% if your identical twin has the disease.
Listen to the podcast 'Mødregruppen' (The Mothers’ Group) - in Danish only
In the podcast ‘Mødregruppen’, Nanna, who has a bipolar disorder, talks about her pregnancy, childbirth and life as a parent. The podcast was produced by the psychiatric services in Central Denmark Region in 2020. Listen here:
Medication plays an essential part in both the acute phase and in preventive treatment.
ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) is sometimes used in the acute treatment – especially in severe depressions or severe mixed states. Read about treatment with ECT
TMS/Transcranial magnetic stimulation can be used against depression in patients who have not had mania.
Read about treatment with TMS in Regionspsykiatrien Vest (Regional Mental Health Services West)
If you are in a fairly stable phase, it is often a good idea to combine medication with various types of counselling therapy and psychoeducation.
Psychoeducation is a type of dialogue-based teaching about the disease and its treatment.
In cases in which you have another concurrent mental disorder, it will often be necessary to treat this disorder once your bipolar disorder has been sufficiently stabilised.
Direct Link: www.en.bipolar.ps.rm.dk