Bipolar Disorder Symptoms

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• QWhat are the symptoms of depression in bipolar disorder?

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  A World Federation For Mental Health (WFMH) answered

  Signs and symptoms of depression (or a depressive episode) include:

  • Lasting sad, anxious, or empty mood
  • Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
  • Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
  • Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
  • Decreased energy, a feeling of fatigue or of being "slowed down"
  • Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
  • Restlessness or irritability
  • Sleeping too much, or can't sleep
  • Change in appetite and/or unintended weight loss or gain
  • Chronic pain or other persistent bodily symptoms that are not caused by physical illness or injury
  • Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts

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• QWhat are the symptoms of bipolar disorder?

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  A Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answered

  Symptoms of bipolar disorder include major mood swings. One moment you might be on Cloud 9, giddy, or in a state of euphoria. And then all of the sudden, without anything triggering it, you can feel incredibly sad, hopeless, or even suicidal. The shifts can happen a few times a year or even a few times a day. You may experience intense feelings that last almost all day for two or three weeks or even longer. You feel like you can do the work of three people, and sometimes even do. You can also be agitated or irritable. You may even talk a mile a minute or try to do a lot of things at once, including things you typically wouldn’t or shouldn’t do (like spending a lot of money, talking to random people on the street, or engaging in risky sexual activity). Your “wired” feeling may make it hard for you to rest and sleep.

  In contrast, during a depressive period, you experience intense sad and hopeless feelings that last almost all day for two or three weeks, or even longer. You may sleep or lie in bed for extended periods. These feelings can sap your energy, causing you to feel tired. You may become forgetful and lose interest in activities you once enjoyed. Being “down” (as in rock-bottom down, not just sad about a bad grade or a breakup) may also cause you to worry a lot and keep you from sleeping.

  If you have experienced any of these symptoms and are concerned, talk to your doctor ASAP.

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• QWhat are the early warning signs of a bipolar disorder relapse?

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  A World Federation For Mental Health (WFMH) answered

  Early warning signs of a bipolar disorder relapse include:

  • Not wanting to take medications or cooperate with your health care provider (missing appointments, etc.)
  • Starting to hear or see things that others do not
  • Abandoning usual routines such as going to school or taking part in family activities
  • Big changes in sleep patterns or appetite, not caring about appearance and difficulties with your physical coordination or short-term memory
  • Having troubling mood swings, feeling out of control or being very agitated, having thoughts of suicide or violence
  • Doing outrageous things that make others think you are out of touch with reality
  • Finding yourself unable to let go of an idea, thought, or phrase
  • Having trouble thinking or speaking clearly or making yourself understood
  • Feeling flat or not being able to enjoy things that usually give pleasure
  • Being unable to make even routine decisions

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• QHow does bipolar hypomania feel?

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  A Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answered

  Bipolar hypomania often feels like a mild high. It can make you feel really good, more self-confident, creative, energetic, and productive.

   

  Shy people become more outgoing and quiet people become more talkative. Some people even report feeling more sensual with an increase in sexual appetite. The better and more confident a person feels, the more risks they tend to be willing to take. This can be precarious since the good feeling can give way to poor judgment and risky behavior.

   

  Hypomania may not seem like a problem at first, but that can quickly change. You can quickly swing into a serious depression or into a scary mania.

   

  Talk to your doctor about how to control mood swings and prevent hypomania from developing into mania or depression.

  
  

   

   

  
  

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• QHow can I tell if my spouse has bipolar disorder?

  1 Answer

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  A International Bipolar Foundation answered

  As much as a spouse with bipolar can be interesting, successful, creative and unusual, he or she can also be withdrawn, irritable, accusatory and uninterested in sex. You may have met your spouse or significant other while he or she was experiencing a manic or hypomanic (manic but more controlled and less extreme) state and found them to be very interesting and upbeat. Sure, he or she may go through blue moods, but you've been putting up with those to get to the good parts. And everyone has down times, don't they?
  
  The tricky part comes up when neither you nor your spouse knows bipolar disorder may be behind the tension and trouble between the two of you. Often the individual doesn't even know she has bipolar disorder. People can go years and even decades without a diagnosis or treatment. It might take you to get them in for a diagnosis.
  
  If your spouse has experienced debilitating periods of sadness, followed by periods of high excitement and activity, he or she may have bipolar disorder. Below, you'll find a list of typical behaviors exhibited by those with bipolar disorder. If your spouse or significant other has been exceptionally excited or active for a week at a time and displays three of the symptoms below, talk with your healthcare provider about bipolar disorder.

  • exaggerated optimism and self-confidence
  • an inflated perspective about abilities and qualities
  • racing thoughts
  • brisk speech
  • impulsive behavior
  • bad decision-making
  • reckless behavior (shopping sprees, irresponsible driving choices, rash business decisions, sexual promiscuity)
  • experiencing delusions (holding untrue beliefs) and hallucinations (seeing and/or hearing things that aren't there)

  Another way to determine if your spouse has bipolar disorder is to consider his or her childhood. The lives of teens struggling with mood disorders can be marred by poor decisions and/or ineffective, misguided attempts to cope. Mood disordered teens may experience or perpetrate:

  • academic failure
  • destruction of property
  • school suspension or expulsion
  • social isolation
  • drug and alcohol use
  • frequent misunderstandings
  • inability to finish projects
  • reckless behavior (speeding, unprotected sex, overspending)
  • extreme defiance
  • poor social relations
  • suicide attempts
• QHow do I recognize euphoric bipolar mania?

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  A Ms. Julie A. Fast , Mental Health, answered

  It’s often hard to miss the beginning signs of bipolar euphoric mania because it feels so good! 
  
  Here is a quiz to spot the signs of feeling a bit TOO good which means you must get help before the euphoric mania turns into grandiose, out of control mania.
  
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  As compared to how you are when stable or depressed, have you:

  • Slept a lot less but felt more energized?
  • Jumped out of bed excited for the wonderful day ahead?
  • Had the thought- “Thank god the depression is gone, I feel SO much better.” ?
  • Felt like spending more?
  • Drinking more?
  •  Do you feel more sexual than normal?
  • Are you eating less than you normally do?
  • Does your body feel light and buzzy?
  • Do the problems that normally weigh you down feel less important?
  • Are you overly and oddly creative?
  • Do you talk and talk and talk?
  • Are people commenting on the change in your behavior?
  • Is everything interesting?

  If you answer yes to more than a few of these questions, you know what it means.
  
  BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF!
  
  Get help.
  
  NO MANIA THIS YEAR has to be your motto.
  
  Julie
  
  PS: If you care about someone with bipolar disorder, these questions will help you notice signs of mania you might miss. It’s often so wonderful to see someone with bipolar depression finally get better and as a consequence the signs of mania are missed or ignored.

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• QIs violent behavior a symptom of bipolar disorder?

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  A Ms. Julie A. Fast , Mental Health, answered

  Sometimes.
  Violence and rage are unfortunate symptoms of bipolar disorder. Many people who commit violent and rage filled acts are often punished or incarcerated without getting a much needed bipolar diagnosis. The behavior is often seen as an anger management problem and proper treatment is not initiated.
  During a mood swing, a person can think, say and do things they would never even contemplate when not ill. And though it’s easy to assume that violent and rage symptoms only happen to men, this is simply not true. Women experience these symptoms as well. I have had mood swings where I have chased down a car when a driver flipped me off and almost had a fight with a woman on a bicycle who went through a red light in front of me. I held myself back because I realized that bipolar was thinking for me. But I really wanted to make someone hurt.
  Violence and Rage Symptoms

  • Want to hurt someone- fighting in public
  • Screaming
  • Have violent thoughts that are scary and not the norm
  • Road rage (so common!)
  • Kick and punch things really hard to the point of breaking a bone
  • Yell and hit loved ones
  • Unable to control feelings or behavior
  • Out of proportion reactions to normal events
  • Unable to see consequences of actions
  • Lose contact with reality

  Please, please remember: The above actions happen when the person is in a mood swing- it’s usually a dysphoric (agitated, upset and negative ) manic episode- often with psychosis. These are not in any way their normal behaviors, nor are they a part of a person’s personality.
  When the mood swing ends, the person is often mortified, ashamed and truly repentant regarding what happened. I’ve heard so many stories where gentle and kind people do something violent while manic and have no idea what happened. A friend of mine beat up a man on a train platform in Japan. He just did it out of nowhere. The mania was that strong.
  People who do something violent and very out of character when ill need a lot of compassion.
  How Can this be Prevented?
  Violent mania often starts with irritation- if a person knows their irritation signs and immediately gets help with medications and a management plan, these destructive mood swings can be prevented. This is good news! Even if someone is refusing treatment now, I’ve seen plenty of people change and accept help eventually.
  
  No one wants to be in constant fights. Ultimately, managing bipolar is better than waking up in jail.
• QShould I talk to my doctor about my bipolar disorder symptoms?

  2 Answers

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  A Dominion Hospital answered

  Definitely talk to your doctor if you think you may have bipolar disorder. Your primary care physician may be able to refer you to a good mental health specialist. Bipolar disorder does not usually clear up on its own, and if left untreated, the symptoms may end up worsening over time. The mood swings can become both more frequent and more severe. On the other hand, people who get treatment for bipolar disorder can often live stable, healthy lives.

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• QShould I talk to my doctor about my mixed bipolar disorder symptoms?

  2 Answers

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  A Dominion Hospital answered

  Yes, you should go to a doctor if you think you are experiencing symptoms of mixed bipolar disorder. Go to the doctor when you first experience an episode of mania and depression either at the same time or very rapidly changing. A doctor can help diagnose mixed bipolar disorder and recommend a mental health professional to assist in treatment. Without quickly addressing your symptoms with treatment, more serious and frequent episodes can develop.

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• QWhat are the symptoms of bipolar NOS?

  1 Answer

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  A Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answered

  The symptoms of bipolar NOS (Not Otherwise Specified) cover all of the bases. You could experience rapid mood swings such as mania, hypomania, and depression. You may feel as though your mind is racing faster than Usain Bolt and you may speak a mile a minute. You may also have trouble sleeping since you are so “wired.” You may also try to do a lot of things at once, including things you typically wouldn’t or shouldn’t do (like spending a lot of money, talking to random people on the street, quitting your job, or engaging in risky sexual activity). There’s a chance you might also start believing you are Elvis or Beyonce. However, these symptoms tend to last less than a week at a time.

  Talk to your doctor about any symptoms you are having that represent a change in mood or behavior.