Bipolar disorder causes shifts in moods and energy, affecting a person's abilities to perform everyday tasks. Patients require therapy and medication, which may include mood stabilizers, antipsychotic medication or antidepressants. Omega-3 fatty acids may help improve conditions for people with bipolar disorder. The essential fatty acids must come from foods since the body does not make them. They are found in certain types of fish, nuts and seeds.
Extremes
Symptoms of bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, may appear gradually or seem like separate problems, the National Institute of Mental Health explains. The person may go through extreme mood swings in activity and behavior, exhibiting an excitable or energetic stage during the manic period before slipping into a deep depressive phase.
Manic-Depressive Episodes
Mood changes during a manic episode include being overly happy or enthusiastic along with feeling extremely irritable, agitated or jumpy. The person may talk very fast and have racing thoughts, jumping from one subject to another. Restlessness, distraction and impulsive, reckless or risky behavior may also occur. The depressive period causes a person to feel empty and worried with a lost of interests in activities once enjoyed. Symptoms also include difficulty concentrating or making decisions, fatigue, changes in eating or sleeping habits and even suicidal thoughts or attempts. Fish oil containing omega-3 may improve symptoms of depression in bipolar patients, but may not improve manic symptoms, MedlinePlus notes.
Omega-3 and Mental Functions
High concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids enter the brain from the bloodstream and may affect cognitive function, such as memory and performance, as well as behavioral activity, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Lack of the fatty acids in women during pregnancy may cause nerve or vision problems in their newborns. Symptoms of omega-3 deficiencies include fatigue, poor memory, mood swings or depression. Some bipolar patients have shown improvement taking fish oil containing omega-3s along with prescription medication, but results from research remain mixed, according to UMMC.
Omega-3 Foods
Fish containing rich amounts of omega-3s include tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring and halibut. The fatty acids also come from walnuts, flaxseeds, soybeans and pumpkin seeds, and walnut, flaxseed, soybean and pumpkin seed oils. Sea life, such as krill and algae, also contain omega-3s. People who do not eat or get enough fish can consume omega-3s through fish oil supplements. Manufacturers make many fish oil supplements from omega-3-rich fish. Check labels for omega-3 ingredients and choose reputable companies that certify products are free of mercury, lead and other heavy metals.
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