Signs of Bipolar Disorder

Oct 14

Depression, ADHD, mood swings, bipolar disorder – a vast majority of us are familiar with these terms, we hear them quite often in our daily lives, but what do we know about them?

In the United States more than six million people are officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder. However, this number probably is much higher, since it is hard to distinguish bipolar disorder from other mental illnesses. Without correct treatment bipolar disorder can rapidly progress, sometimes to life threatening conditions.

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness marked by extreme mood swings from high (mania) to low (depression) and low to high. The mood swings may even become mixed, so you might feel elated and depressed at the same time. Women are more likely to receive bipolar diagnoses than men, though the reason for this remains unclear.

Bipolar disorder may manifest itself in the form of Mania or Depression.

Signs of Mania:

Feeling overly happy or “high” for long periods of time
Having a decreased need for sleep
Talking very fast, often with racing thoughts
Feeling extremely restless or impulsive
Becoming easily distracted
Having overconfidence in your abilities
Engaging in risky behavior, such as having impulsive sex, gambling with life savings, or going on big spending sprees

Signs of Depression:

Feeling sad or hopeless for long periods of time
Withdrawing from friends and family or losing interest in activities that you once enjoyed
Having a significant change in appetite
Feeling severe fatigue or lack of energy
Speaking slowly
Having problems with memory, concentration, and decision-making
Thinking about or attempting suicide, or having a preoccupation with death.

I hope that the list of bipolar disorder’ signs above will help you recognize the problem and seek professional help in time. Many people with bipolar disorder live an absolutely normal life: have successful careers and happy families. Correct medication, therapy, and self-help strategies can help to control bipolar disorder. Regular exercising, healthy sleeping and eating habits, monitoring your moods, keeping stress to a minimum, staying connected to friends and family will help to keep the symptoms at bay. Please contact our specialists at Mandala Integrative Medicine to learn how we may be able to help you.