RECOGNITION OF BIPOLAR SYMPTOMS

Bipolar disorder involves cycles of mania and depression.

Signs and symptoms of mania include discrete periods of:

• Increased energy, activity, restlessness, racing thoughts, and rapid talking
• Excessive "high" or euphoric feelings
• Extreme irritability and distractibility
• Decreased need for sleep
• Unrealistic beliefs in one's abilities and powers
• Uncharacteristically poor judgment
• A sustained period of behavior that is different from usual
• Increased sexual drive
• Abuse of drugs, particularly cocaine, alcohol, and sleeping medications
• Provocative, intrusive, or aggressive behavior
• Denial that anything is wrong

Signs and symptoms of depression include discrete periods of:

• Persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood
• Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in ordinary activities, including sex
• Decreased energy, a feeling of fatigue or of being "slowed down"
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
• Restlessness or irritability
• Sleep disturbances
• Loss of appetite and weight, or weight gain
• Chronic pain or other persistent bodily symptoms that are not caused by physical disease
• Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts

It may be helpful to think of the various mood states in manic-depressive illness as a spectrum or continuous range. At one end is severe depression, which shades into moderate depression; then come mild and brief mood disturbances that many people call "the blues," then normal mood, then hypomania (a mild form of mania), and then mania.

Some people with untreated bipolar disorder have repeated depressions and only an occasional episode of hypomania (bipolar II). In the other extreme, mania may be the main problem and depression may occur only infrequently. In fact, symptoms of mania and depression may be mixed together in a single "mixed" bipolar state.

Descriptions provided by patients themselves offer valuable insights into the various mood states associated with bipolar disorder:

Depression:

Hypomania:

Mania:

Recognition of the various mood states is essential so that the person who has manic-depressive illness can obtain effective treatment and avoid the harmful consequences of the disease, which include destruction of personal relationships, loss of employment, and suicide.

Manic-depressive illness is often not recognized by the patient, relatives, friends, or even physicians.

• An early sign of manic-depressive illness may be hypomania--a state in which the person shows a high level of energy, excessive moodiness or irritability, and impulsive or reckless behavior.
• Hypomania may feel good to the person who experiences it. Thus, even when family and friends learn to recognize the mood swings, the individual often will deny that anything is wrong.
• In its early stages, bipolar disorder may masquerade as a problem other than mental illness. For example, it may first appear as alcohol or drug abuse, or poor school or work performance.
• If left untreated, bipolar disorder tends to worsen, and the person experiences episodes of full-fledged mania and clinical depression.

top

home | awareness | recognition | treatment | getting help | information contact
articles | send page