We all have our ups and downs, but these peaks and lows are more pronounced with bipolar disorder (once known as manic depression or manic-depressive disorder). Significant changes in mood, motivation, thought, and behavior are triggered by bipolar disorder, from the peaks of mania on one end to the lows of depression on the other. The cycles of bipolar disorder continue for days, weeks, or months, rather than just a temporary good or bad mood. And the mood changes of bipolar disorder are so severe, unlike ordinary mood swings, that they can interfere with your work or school results, harm your relationships, and impair your ability to function in everyday life.
You might impulsively leave your job during a psychotic episode, charge massive amounts on credit cards, or feel rested after sleeping for two hours. You may be too weary to get out of bed during a depressive episode, and full of self-loathing and hopelessness for being unemployed and in debt.
There is no complete explanation of the causes of bipolar disorder, although it also seems to be inherited. In the adolescent years or early adulthood, the first psychotic or depressive episode of bipolar disorder normally occurs. The signs may be subtle and confusing; many individuals are ignored or misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder, resulting in needless suffering. Since bipolar disorder appears to escalate without medication, understanding what the symptoms look like is crucial. The first step to feeling better and having your life back on track is acknowledging the problem.
Signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder
In different individuals, bipolar disorder can look very distinct. In their pattern, intensity, and frequency, the symptoms differ broadly. Some individuals are more vulnerable to either mania or depression, while others switch between the two forms of episodes equally. Some have constant mood disturbances, while others have a lifetime of witnessing just a few.
In bipolar disorder, four types of mood episodes exist: mania, hypomania, depression, and mixed episodes. Each type of mood episode of bipolar disorder has a specific set of symptoms.
Mania symptoms
It's normal to experience feelings of increased energy, imagination, and euphoria in the manic phase of bipolar disorder. You can talk a mile a minute, sleep very little, and be hyperactive if you are experiencing a manic episode. You may feel that you are all-powerful, invincible, or bound for grandeur as well.
But while mania at first feels good, it has a potential to spiral out of control. During a manic episode, you can behave recklessly: gambling away your money, participating in improper sexual activity, or making foolish business investments, for example. Picking battles, lashing out when others do not go along with your plans, and accusing someone who criticizes your actions may also become angry, irritable, and violent. Some individuals have become psychotic or begin to hear voices.
Popular signs of mania and symptoms include:
· Feeling highly irritable, exceptionally 'high' and confident OR.
· Unrealistic, grandiose convictions regarding the abilities or powers of one.
· To sleep very little, but to feel very energetic.
· Speaking so fast that some are unable to keep up.
· Racing thoughts; moving from one idea to the next rapidly.
· Extremely distractible, incapable of concentrating.
· Deteriorated judgement and impulsiveness.
· Recklessly behaving without caring about the consequences.
· Hallucinations and illusions (in severe cases).
Bipolar depression symptoms
Bipolar depression has been lumped in with normal depression in the past, but an increasing body of research indicates that there are substantial differences between the two, especially when it comes to prescribed therapies.
Antidepressants do not benefit most people with bipolar disorder. In fact, antidepressants are at risk of worsening bipolar disorder, inducing mania or hypomania, causing rapid switching between mood states or interfering with other medications that stabilize mood.
Certain signs are more common in bipolar depression than in normal depression, despite several similarities. For instance, irritability, remorse, erratic mood swings, and feelings of restlessness are more likely to be involved in bipolar disorder. You can move and talk slowly with bipolar disorder, sleep a lot, and gain weight. Moreover, you are more likely to develop psychotic depression, a disorder in which you lose touch with reality, and to encounter serious job and social functioning issues.
Popular bipolar disorder symptoms include:
· Feeling helpless, unfortunate, or hollow
· Irritableness
· Inability to experience happiness
· Fatigue or Capacity Loss
· Sluggish physical and emotional condition
· Shifts of appetite or weight
· Problems with sleep
· Problems with concentration and memory
· Feelings of being useless or guilt
· Death or suicide thoughts
Symptoms of a mixed episode
A mixed bipolar disorder episode demonstrates both mania or hypomania and depression symptoms. Depression coupled with agitation, irritability, anxiety, insomnia, distractibility, and racing thoughts are typical symptoms of a mixed episode. This combination of high energy and low mood makes the risk of suicide especially high.