Can Bipolar Disorder Develop in Your 30s?

About 2.6% of American adults suffer from bipolar disorder (BPD), a mental health condition that features mood swings between periods of high and low emotions. Most patients experience their first symptoms in their early 20s and while patients may struggle with BPD for the rest of their lives, it’s rare for the condition to first emerge after your 30th birthday. It’s not, however, impossible and BPD can’t be ruled out on the basis of age. 

Diagnosis and treatment are sometimes difficult, given the complex nature of the condition, as well as the wide range of individual variance between patients. The team at KETA Medical Center specializes in the administration of low-dose ketamine infusions as part of a BPD management plan. Ketamine shows significant results in relieving depression, both as part of BPD and that induced by other aspects of treatment.

Understanding bipolar disorder

Once referred to as manic depression, BPD sees a person swing between emotional highs and lows that can be extreme, extending into dissociation on the high side or suicidal depression at the other end of the spectrum. Most cases fall somewhere between these extremes and most people find an effective level of treatment. 

BPD has several forms that are distinct diagnoses rather than simply one set of symptoms that vary in severity. 

Bipolar I disorder

One or more manic episodes preceded or followed by a period of major depressive disorder or hypomania triggers a bipolar I diagnosis. Hypomania is a period of high emotion, but it doesn’t extend into mania territory, which can reach psychosis in some patients. 

Bipolar II disorder

Rather than simply a milder version of bipolar I, you won’t experience mania with bipolar II disorder. Instead, this distinct diagnosis alternates between major depressive disorder and hypomania. 

Cyclothymic disorder covers a period of at least two years in which alternating cycles of hypomania and depressive symptoms occur. Low points in the cycle don’t reach the level of major depression. BPD can also result from alcohol and drug use or certain medication conditions like multiple sclerosis or stroke. 

Ketamine therapy for BPD

Low-dose ketamine provides the medical world with an alternative to conventional antidepressant medications. Ketamine approaches depression through an entirely different chemical perspective that traditional drugs, and it can work well in combination with these, particularly when combined with psychotherapy. 

Ketamine also has the bonus of being fast acting. Many patients feel some level of relief soon after treatment. At KETA Medical Centers, we deliver low-dose ketamine in intravenous (IV) infusions. 

To learn more about ketamine therapy for treating BPD, contact the nearest of our three offices, by phone or online. Ketamine offers a new approach to treatment resistant depression, so you may see the results that previously proved elusive. Schedule your appointment today.