With bipolar disorder, you experience mood shifts between depression and mania. Depending on the type of bipolar disorder you have, you may have more depressive episodes or more manic episodes. These symptoms have a link to abnormal neurotransmitter activity in your brain, which are chemicals involved in different functions, such as mood. One neurotransmitter linked to bipolar disorder is dopamine, which plays a role in pleasure and movement.
Identification
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines four types of bipolar disorder, which vary in symptom presentation. If you have bipolar I disorder, you have manic symptoms for at least seven days, as well as some depressive symptoms that last around two weeks, notes the National Institute of Mental Health. Symptoms of mania include an elevated or irritable mood, restlessness, a reduced need for sleep, impulsive behaviors and unrealistic expectations of what you can do. When depressed, you may experience a loss of interest in your hobbies or usual activities, changes in your eating and sleeping habits, fatigue and restlessness. With severe depression, you may have thoughts of suicide, which requires medical attention.
If you have bipolar II disorder, you have more depressive symptoms and some episodes of hypomania, which are not as severe as manic episodes. Cyclothymia is a milder form of bipolar disorder, in which you experience hypomania and mild depression. If your doctor diagnoses you with bipolar disorder not otherwise specified, you have some symptoms of bipolar disorder that do not fit the criteria for the other types of bipolar disorder.
Significance
Abnormal activity of dopamine in your brain may explain the symptoms of bipolar disorder. The Lundbeck Institute notes that dopamine is part of your reward system, and lower levels of dopamine in your brain could explain the lack of motivation you experience when you become depressed. The link between dopamine and mood problems exist in patients with other dopamine-related disorders. For example, in 40 percent of Parkinson's disease cases in which the cause is unknown, patients also have depressive symptoms, according to Husseini K. Manji et al., authors of the article "The Underlying Neurobiology of Bipolar Disorder." Parkinson's disease is a neurological condition in which your dopamine levels become depleted, causing motor problems.
Treatment
The pharmacological treatment for bipolar disorder also indicates a connection between dopamine and bipolar disorder. To treat your manic symptoms, your doctor may prescribe an atypical antipsychotic medication, such as olanzapine and risperidone. These medications bind to two types of dopamine receptors in your brain: D3 dopamine receptors and D4 dopamine receptors, according to Williams College. With the drug binding to those receptors, dopamine cannot bind there, restricting their activity, which helps reduce symptoms of mania.
Dietary Changes
While dietary treatments for bipolar disorder do not directly increase or decrease dopamine in your brain, they may help with the molecule's formation. To make dopamine, your body takes the amino acid tyrosine and converts it. Your body needs certain vitamins and minerals to manufacture dopamine, such as vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin B-3, iron, vitamin B-6 and copper. Some of these vitamins and minerals may also help reduce your symptoms. For example, vitamin C can reduce the amount of vanadium, a trace element, which may cause your symptoms of mania and depression, according to Shaheen E. Lakhan and Karen F. Vieira, authors of the article "Nutritional Therapies for Mental Disorders." Taking 3 g of vitamin C may decrease both your manic and depressive symptoms, notes the University of Michigan Health System. Talk to your doctor before taking any supplements to treat your bipolar disorder.
Considerations
While dopamine may play an important role in bipolar disorder, it is not the only neurotransmitter involved in your symptoms. The Lunbeck Institute lists acetylcholine, serotonin and norepinephrine as other neurotransmitters linked to bipolar disorder. Acetylcholine and serotonin are two separate neurotransmitters, while norepinephrine is made from dopamine. Some of the nutritional treatments for bipolar disorder focus on these neurotransmitters. For example, the supplements L-tryptophan and 5-HTP are both precursors to serotonin. Discuss these different alternative treatments for bipolar disorder with your doctor before starting them.
References
- National Institute of Mental Health: Bipolar Disorder
- University of Michigan Health System: Bipolar Disorder
- Lundbeck Institute: Bipolar Disorder -- Aetiology
- "World Psychiatry"; The Underlying Neurobiology of Bipolar Disorder; Husseini K. Manji, Jorge A. Quiroz, Jennifer L. Payne, Jaskaran Singh, Barbara P. Lopes, Jenilee S. Viegas and Carlos A. Zarate; October 2003
- Williams College: Dopamine Receptor Blockade: Antipsychotic Drugs
- "Nutrition Journal"; Nutritional Therapies for Mental Disorders"; Shaheen E. Lakhan and Karen F. Vieira; January 2008
