Table of contents:
- Difference between OCD and bipolar
- Bipolar disorder
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
- The relationship between obsessive compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder
- Treatment for people who have both OCD and bipolar disorder
Obsessive compulsive disorder (often referred to as OCD) and bipolar disorder are two different conditions. However, experts believe that the two are related and can appear simultaneously. This is evidenced by the facts mentioned by the National Institute of Mental Health. Of the approximately 2.6 percent of adults in the United States who have bipolar disorder, 1 percent show signs of OCD.
Difference between OCD and bipolar
Before exploring the relationship between obsessive compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder, you must first understand what the difference is between the two.
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar is a mental illness that makes the sufferer experience changes mood and very extreme energy. These changes are usually much more severe than in other normal people. Therefore, the extreme changes are quite disruptive to the life of the sufferer in carrying out daily activities.
People with bipolar disorder usually experience emotional turmoil that changes dramatically from very excited to very sad and lethargic. These changes will also result in sleep patterns, activity, and other unusual behaviors.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
OCD is a chronic psychological disorder that causes people to have uncontrollable thoughts or obsessions and actions that they want to do. People who have OCD usually have thoughts and fears that they don't want.
This then creates an obsession to do something over and over again in response to his fear. For example, people who have OCD can wash their hands repeatedly until they are dry and injured just because they are afraid that germs will stick.
The relationship between obsessive compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder
There is a study that states that about 10-35 percent of people with bipolar disorder also suffer from OCD. In fact, most of them actually experience OCD symptoms earlier than their bipolar disorder. Researchers consider this to be reasonable because OCD is the most common anxiety disorder in people with bipolar disorder.
In addition, there are other studies that have found that people with bipolar disorder are two to five times more likely to develop obsessive compulsive disorder than people who have depression.
When viewed as a whole, people who have bipolar disorder and OCD at the same time have a condition that is quite worrying. This lies in particular with his panic disorder and self-control.
People with bipolar disorder have several symptoms in common with OCD. They usually experience several conditions such as mood swings, anxiety, and social phobia. However, the main striking difference is that bipolar people don't do things repeatedly and have uncontrollable thoughts like people with OCD.
Treatment for people who have both OCD and bipolar disorder
When these two mental disorders appear at the same time, bipolar symptoms usually tend to be more difficult to treat. The reason is, people with these two disorders tend to abuse substances both drugs and alcohol more often. As a result, this makes treatment hampered and more difficult.
Experts claim that the first step in treatment for people with obsessive compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder is to stabilize their moods. Usually this method is done by giving drugs such as lithium with anticonvulsants or atypical antipsychotics with apripiprazole (Abilify).
In addition, doctors will also be much more careful when combining drugs for two conditions that appear simultaneously. The reason is, the wrong combination of drugs can make symptoms appear more frequent and more severe than usual.
