Women are More Prone to Suffering Bipolar Disorders than Men

Research has indicated that women are generally more prone to experience bouts of depression than men, and are therefore more likely to develop certain kinds of bipolar disorders. In particular, women are more inclined to have Bipolar II type disorder, which means that they don’t develop extreme mania but instead experience some mild hypomania episodes, coupled with alternating depressive episodes.

Women are also at a greater risk than men to have rapid recycling, which is characterized by at least four extraordinary mood episodes within a year. Research on bipolar disorders has indicated that rapid recycling may be due to changing levels in sex hormones and thyroid gland activity.

Bipolar disorder symptoms are readily observable, because sufferers tend to go through intense emotional states or episodes. Diagnosis is usually based on experiences reported by an individual herself, in conjunction with behavior abnormalities noticed by friends, family members, or co-workers. There may also be some more subtle, secondary signs that a Harmony Place staffer specially trained to recognize bipolar disorder symptoms will be able to pick up. Moreover, the condition is next to impossible to diagnose definitively without the help of a trained expert.

Compounding the problem of bipolar disorder treatment is the possibility of a dual diagnosis, in which mental illness is aggravated by substance abuse or addiction. This can be a very challenging scenario to overcome, because of the challenges of addressing one’s medical condition while coming to terms with the effects of addiction at the same time. The treatment of this condition is also one of Harmony Place’s specializations.

Here at Harmony Place, we take a respectful approach when it comes to our clients, because we place a high value on human dignity. Our proactive relapse prevention education systems and our psychodynamic and cognitive theories are balanced and synthesized with our exclusive variation of the 12-Step Program, designed specifically for women. These paradigms are in place to help ensure that clients who undergo our bipolar disorder treatment get better, in both body and mind.