Could Laughing Indicate a Serious Psychological Disorder

Laughing is considered a positive reaction that most people do when they are happy. Talking and laughing with friends, in the family, in a friend environment is a sign of having a pleasant time. However, the inability of people to be able to master their laughing reflexes in situations where they should be serious often creates negative effects in terms of social and business relations. Because of these behaviors of people, it causes them to be evaluated as incompatible or unbalanced in most environments. However, it generally does not occur to anyone that this is an involuntary behavior and is caused by a deterioration in the person’s brain chemistry. Even people who have difficulty controlling their reflexes may not think that this indicates a disorder. For this reason, people who cannot control their laughing reflexes experience victimization and even serious situations may arise, including isolation from society.

While people’s depressive moods and morale disorders can be easily observed and it may be thought to indicate depression or a different mental illness, it is very rare that this is considered for unwarranted laughter. However, laughing often acts as a mask that suppresses depression, and even takes its place among the information found that unhappy people laugh more. This involuntary laughter, which is a defense mechanism developed by people against unhappiness and depressed mood, is described by experts as a symptom of bipolar disorder. It is stated that this disease is experienced in two different ways as extreme joy and energy state, which can be specified as two opposite stages or indicators, or on the contrary, a state of subsidence, unhappiness and withdrawal, but these symptoms also differ between individuals. This disorder, which shows different symptoms in everyone, takes its place in the group of psychological diseases and, if not treated, causes serious consequences that can lead to suicide.

Two different phases of the disease manifest as follows: Symptoms of the disease that appear as excessive happiness in people are known as the manic period. In this period, situations such as being overly energetic, sudden increase in productivity and creativity, increased tendency to become aggressive, and people becoming more talkative than normal are observed. In addition to these, starting to show hypersensitivity to sounds, thinking that it belongs to another world, impairment in senses such as image, sound, smell and touch, hearing voices that are not present, seeing things that are not present, feeling as if someone is touching him and perception of odors that are not present in the skin. showing is among the situations encountered in these people. A decrease in the need for sleep, an increase in sexual desire, in addition to believing that one can do whatever he / she thinks is capable of doing whatever he / she thinks, shopping thoughtlessly as a result of the desire to spend money randomly, and difficulty in adapting to daily life are also symptoms seen in the manic phase of bipolar disorder. In addition to these, difficulty in concentration, increased feeling of restlessness, nervousness, difficulty in keeping up with the course of daily life are among the indicators of bipolar disorder seen in the mania phase.

The following situations can be observed as symptoms of depression: The feeling of constant fatigue, feeling exhausted, low energy, increasing need for rest, future anxieties that come after the person’s self-confidence decreases, and the anxiety that the person will be faced with constant negative situations are among the symptoms of the depression phase. In addition, the observation of problems such as the decrease in the activities that the person has done with pleasure before, the state of distraction, the state of being constantly thoughtful, being over-sensitive and the tendency to be taken on everything, fluctuations in the course of daily life, not being able to fall asleep or not being able to sleep deeply are observed in people at this stage. is among the symptoms. In addition, the fact that the tasks such as cleaning and personal care that should be done in daily life become unacceptable by the person and the physical disorders that occur are seen as symptoms of this phase.

Bipolar Disorder and Risk Factors

Although this disease occurs mostly in young people, it is rarely seen in middle-aged and elderly people. The disease, which may occur depending on the genetic predisposition, cannot be explained by genetic connection and it is stated that it can be seen in 1 or 2 out of every 100 people statistically. There is no distinction that it is more common in women or men. It is stated that the risk of developing bipolar disorder, a disease that can occur in both genders, is high in mostly young people. Other factors and risk groups that lead to the occurrence of bipolar disorder are as follows:

* It is emphasized that families with a history of bipolar disorder can be genetically persistent.

* If the disease is seen in first degree relatives, other relative members are likely to get this disease.

* It is among the information emphasized that people who use antidepressants have a state of occurrence due to side effects.

* Striking fluctuations in temperament, strong mood swings, and stagnation caused by excessive energy are considered signs of bipolar disorder.

* Fluctuating moods that vary according to the seasons are seen as a harbinger of bipolar disorder in people.

* Depressions that occur in childhood or adolescence can trigger bipolar disorder.

However, the risk factors listed in this section are considered as mild symptoms or probabilities for the disease.

Methods That Can Be Used For The Treatment Of The Disease

Bipolar disorder is a disease that affects people’s daily lives very significantly and causes them to harm themselves in a way that can result in death. For this reason, it should definitely be taken under control and it should be ensured that people adapt to daily life. Although it is known that the use of medication mostly works in the treatment of this disease, it is of utmost importance to encourage people to socialize and to be under the control of a specialist physician constantly in order to improve the course of the disease. Creating a social space by directing people to group therapies and facilitating them to overcome the problems related to sociality ensures the control of the disease. However, since this disease lives with the person, it requires constant medication use.

In addition to the treatment methods that benefit greatly from drug use, some people may not react to the drug, so these people are treated in the hospital. In this way, especially suicidal people can be prevented from harming themselves.

If the person cannot be cured with medication or the disease cannot be controlled, electroconvulsive therapy is applied to the persons. The name of this treatment method in folk language is known as electroshock by many people. This procedure is a medical practice performed by an anesthesiologist and psychiatrist in a special intervention room. It is ensured that the patient is put to sleep through anesthesia in order not to feel pain. The treatment is carried out by stimulating the brain with short currents of 5 seconds lasting 5 minutes in total with the help of an electrode placed on the forehead. Since the amount of electricity given is adjusted at a level that does not harm the patient’s brain and body, it is among the expressions that have no significant side effects.

It is also among the expressions that minor side effects such as not remembering details about short-term and recent events will disappear within a maximum of 1 year. The treatment varies in 1-3 sessions depending on the effect it has on people. This treatment is a method used to ensure quick recovery in people who do not respond to the drug and who may behave dangerously both to their environment and to themselves. It is mostly emphasized that it has an effect in a short time.

* Bipolar disorder is a disease originating from the brain, and unfortunately, the required level of understanding towards psychological disorders has not been reached by the society. If the person is cold or laughs out of place, if they act differently from the people in the environment, they are stigmatized and pushed to loneliness. Especially the families and close environment of people with such disorders should change their attitude towards people and interact with them in empathy, thinking that the other person is a sick person. Remember, nobody wants to get sick or fall into an awkward situation in public. These diseases, which occur as a result of some situations encountered in life, are not anyone’s fault or fault. Supporting these people during the treatment process is extremely important in terms of saving their lives and making them adapt to life again.