Bipolar disorder

Indications – Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness, also known as manic depression or manic-depressive illness, that is associated with extreme high and low mood changes, sleep disorders, problems with clear thinking and proper behavior.

As for the cause, researchers mostly agree that there is no single one, but more likely a variety of factors contributing together to the development of this disorder: genetics, brain structure irregularities etc.

Symptoms and Treatment

Periods of depression and euphoria may occur any time for no particular reason. Main symptoms include excessive happiness suddenly changing into anger and hostility and vice versa, restlessness, fast talking, problems with concentration, sadness, insomnia, loss of appetite and even attempting suicide.

There is no cure, thus the treatment focuses on stabilizing patients’ mood with pharmaceutical drugs, such as Lamictal, Depakote or Topamax. However these drugs are associated with severe side effects and many patients are searching for safer alternatives – and one of them is cannabis.

What about Cannabis

According to some studies, using cannabis is linked to an increase in both manic and depressive symptoms of bipolar disorder, however there is also a plenty of research showing that cannabinoids relieve symptoms and improve neurocognition – and there is also mounting anecdotal evidence of cannabis efficacy in patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder.