How Do I Know if I’m Suffering From Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder — also known as manic depressive illness or manic depression — is a mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. Signs and Symptoms Bipolar disorder includes a wide variety of signs and symptoms. People who suffer from bipolar disorder […]
Bipolar disorder — also known as manic depressive illness or manic depression — is a mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.
Signs and Symptoms
Bipolar disorder includes a wide variety of signs and symptoms. People who suffer from bipolar disorder will experience times of extreme highs, also called a “manic episode” or “up.” They will also experience times of extreme sadness, which is called a “depressive episode” or “down.”Symptoms of a manic episode include:- Feeling “up,” “high,” elated, or happy
- Feeling energetic, but irritable or touchy
- Feeling jumpy or wired
- Decreased need for sleep
- Loss of appetite
- Thinking and talking fast about a lot of different things
- Feeling like they can multitask more than usual
- Feeling like they are unusually important, talented, or powerful
- Engaging in risky activities that show poor judgment like excessive drinking or drug use, spending or giving away money, or risky sexual behavior
- Feeling sad, down, empty, or hopeless
- Feeling slow, fatigued, or restless
- Having trouble sleeping (such as waking too early or sleeping too much)
- Increased appetite and weight gain
- Speaking slowly or feeling like they have nothing to say
- Feeling forgetful
- Having trouble concentrating
- Feeling unable to do simple things
- Feeling absent or losing interest in almost all activities they used to enjoy
- Decreased or absent sex drive
- Anhedonia (the inability to experience pleasure)
- Feeling worthless or depressed
- Thinking about death or suicide
