Guide To The Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a severe mood disorder characterized by intense periods of high or low mood. It includes periods of major depression and mania, which are also called depressive and manic episodes. Each of these episodes can last a couple of weeks to several months at a time. Bipolar 1 disorder requires at least one manic episode. Bipolar 2 disorder is the one in which an individual experiences hypomania. This is a low-grade version of mania, though it can be just as concerning. About three percent of the United States' population deals with bipolar disorder, which may manifest in late adolescence to early adulthood.

Patients often take mood stabilizers as a treatment for bipolar disorder. Many patients may also need medication for depression to handle their condition. Antipsychotics for bipolar disorder are also an option. Psychotherapy for bipolar disorder is often a continuous treatment. Some patients seek to use treatments such as meditation as natural mood stabilizers. However, patients need to understand the symptoms of this condition and discuss them with a doctor first.

Extreme Mood Swings

Extreme mood swings in bipolar disorder are not regular, day-to-day mood fluctuations. Instead, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, each episode in bipolar disorder mood swings must last for a minimum length of time. A depressive episode must last for a minimum of two weeks, and a manic episode must last at least one week. Mania is the upswing, the extremely elevated end of the mood swing.

However, mania is not positive simply because it involves an elevated mood. Instead, episodes have symptoms such as high or wired energy, distracted attention, thinking and talking rapidly, and an extremely grandiose sense of self. In extreme cases of mania, a patient may experience delusions and hallucinations and may require hospitalization. During depressive episodes, a patient will experience low mood, apathy, reduced motivation, fatigue, lack of concentration, hopelessness, insomnia or sleeping too much, and suicidal thoughts. Each cycle can go for an indeterminate period.

Euphoria

Euphoria, a major part of manic episodes, is a high mood that feels like absolute joy and excitement. However, it tends to be extreme to a debilitating grade. Individuals with bipolar feel like they are on top of the world. Along with this comes an inflated sense of self, grandiose thoughts about skills or the world, or exaggerated perception of one's skills, sometimes to a delusional level. Euphoria appears alongside extreme distractibility, risky or dangerous behavior like, and rapid racing thoughts and speech. Rational reasoning does not exist.

For example, an artist during a manic episode may feel excited about beginning multiple projects at once, more than a person reasonably can, and find themselves working on them nonstop. Euphoria distorts their perception. They may feel a heightened sense of pride and happiness, perhaps believing their art will make them famous. At the end of the episode, without the euphoria, the individual may find a series of unfinished projects that lack sense or meaning.