Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder
by
Cynthia M. Johnson, MA Bipolar disorder causes mood swings. You may feel very high or sad and without hope. Then you may feel high again. Often, there are times of steady moods in between these highs and lows. You may also have a change in energy and actions. The highs are called mania. The lows are called depression. Depressive EpisodeLow moods may cause:
Manic EpisodeHigh moods may cause:
A mild to medium level of mania is called hypomania. It may feel good to the person who has it. You may be able to get more things done. It can become mania or can switch to depression if it isn't treated. Other Symptoms TOPYou may also have: PsychosisSometimes, times of mania or depression turn into symptoms of psychosis, such as:
These symptoms are the extreme mood state at the time. A person with mania may believe that he or she is the President or has special powers or wealth. A person with depression may believe that he or she is ruined and penniless or has done a crime. Suicidal SymptomsSome people are in danger of self-harm. A person who is thinking about self-harm needs help right away. A person who talks about self-harm should get medical help right away. The risk of self-harm is higher early on. Finding bipolar disorder early and learning how best to treat it may lower the risk of death by self-harm. Signs that you may have with thoughts of self-harm are:
Range of Symptoms TOPProblems can range from mild to severe. If you are feeling depressed, you may have a low mood, feel somewhat depressed, or have major depression. The symptoms of mania can also range from having more energy to being in a very high mood. The disorder is complex because there is also a mixed state. You may feel like you have a lot of energy. At the same time you may also feel sad, wound up, and have thoughts of self-harm. In between these times, you could have times when your mood is steady. Bipolar disorder is also broken down into four main types:
There is also a type called rapid cycling. This is more likely if you have severe bipolar disorder. It means that you have four or more times of major depression, mania, hypomania, or mixed state in one year. This mental health problem is not easy to detect. Most people ask their doctors for help because they are depressed. They may not talk about their times of high mood. Doctors may not ask questions about mood changes.
References:
Bipolar disorder. EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T114738/Bipolar-disorder. Updated August 20, 2018. Accessed September 25, 2018.
Bipolar disorder in adults. National Institute of Mental Health website. Available at: ...(Click grey area to select URL) Updated November 2015. Accessed September 25, 2018. Depression: What you need to know. National Institute of Mental Health website. Available at: ...(Click grey area to select URL) Accessed September 26, 2018. Management of bipolar disorder in adults. US Department of Veterans Affairs website. Available at: https://www.healthquality.va.gov/bipolar/bd_305_full.pdf. Published May 2010. Accessed September 26, 2018. Price AL, Marzani-Nissen GR. Biploar disorders: a review. Am Fam Physician. 2012;85(5):483-493. What are bipolar disorders? American Psychiatric Association website. Available at: ...(Click grey area to select URL) Updated January 2017. Accessed September 26, 2018. Last reviewed September 2018 by
EBSCO Medical Review Board Rimas Lukas, MD Last Updated 9/26/2018
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