Bipolar disorder is a severe mental illness that can seriously affect the life of the person who suffers from it. It is also known as manic-depressive illness.
Patients who suffer from it experience unusual mood swings: sometimes they may feel very happy and cheerful, and much more active than usual, known as mania. At other times, however, they feel sad and depressed, and are also very inactive. This state is called depression.
Bipolar disorder can also cause changes in both energy and behavior.
Having bipolar disorder is not the same as having ups and downs in mood, ups and downs that everyone suffers and experiences. In the case of a bipolar person, the symptoms are more potent, and can damage relationships between people, making it difficult, for example, to attend school or to hold a job. In addition, some people with bipolar disorder try to harm themselves or even commit suicide.
Virtually anyone can develop this disorder. It often begins in late adolescence or early adulthood. However, adults and children can also suffer from the illness, which can last virtually a lifetime.
Signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder
The mood swings typical of bipolar disorder are called mood episodes. Thus, people can have manic, depressive or mixed episodes. Mixed episodes include both depressive and manic symptoms.
These episodes cause symptoms lasting up to two weeks.
When an episode occurs, symptoms appear every day for most of the episode, with the mood episodes being very intense. Emotions are strong and occur along with extreme changes in energy levels and behavior. In a manic episode, the patient may:
- Feel very animated or very cheerful.
- Feel very nervous or anxious
- Talk very fast mixing different topics
- Be restless, sensitive or irritable
- Have trouble relaxing and sleeping
- Feeling the ability to do many things at once
- Doing risky things, such as spending a lot of money or having unprotected sex
In a depressive-type episode, the patient may:
- Feel deep sadness
- Feel emptiness and worry
- Difficulty concentrating
- Poor memory and forgetfulness of tasks or things
- Loss of interest in fun activities
- Tiredness and lack of energy
- Difficulty sleeping
- Thoughts of death and/or suicide
For more information on bipolar disorder, consult with a specialist in Psychiatry.