Best Ways How to Spot Bipolar Disorder Symptoms

Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with psychosis, it is called mania; it is called hypomania when it is less severe. During mania, an individual behaves or feels abnormally energetic, happy, or irritable, and they often make impulsive decisions with little regard for the consequences. There is usually also a reduced need for sleep during manic phases. During periods of depression, the individual may experience crying and have a negative outlook on life and poor eye contact with others. The risk of suicide is high, and self-harm is a common feature. Other mental health issues, such as anxiety disorders and substance use disorders, are commonly associated with bipolar disorder. I’m going to be listing the best ways how to spot bipolar disorder symptoms.

Over a period of 20 years, 6% of those with bipolar disorder died by suicide, while 30–40% engaged in self-harm.

The condition is classified as bipolar I disorder if there has been at least one manic episode, with or without depressive episodes, and as bipolar II disorder if there has been at least one hypo-manic episode — with no full manic episodes — and one major depressive episode.

Bipolar disorder occurs in approximately 1% of the global population. In the United States, about 3% are estimated to be affected at some point in their life; rates appear to be similar in females and males. The most common age at which symptoms begin is 20; an earlier onset in life is associated with a worse prognosis.

Around a quarter to a third of people with bipolar disorder have financial, social, or work-related problems due to the illness. Bipolar disorder is among the top 20 causes of disability worldwide and leads to substantial costs for society.

Signs and Symptoms – Best Ways How to Spot Bipolar Disorder Symptoms

Late adolescence and early adulthood are peak years for the onset of bipolar disorder. The condition is characterized by intermittent episodes of mania or depression, with an absence of symptoms in between. During these episodes, people with bipolar disorder exhibit disruptions in normal mood. They also experience a change in psychomotor activity — the level of physical activity that is influenced by mood, circadian rhythm, and cognition. Mania can present with varying levels of mood disturbance, ranging from euphoria that is associated with “classic mania” to dysphoria and irritability. Psychotic symptoms such as delusions or hallucinations may occur in both manic and depressive episodes. Their content and nature is consistent with the person’s prevailing mood.

The diagnosis of bipolar disorder can be complicated by coexisting (comorbid) psychiatric conditions including obsessive-compulsive disorder, substance-use disorder, eating disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, social phobia, premenstrual syndrome (including premenstrual dysphoric disorder), or panic disorder. A thorough longitudinal analysis of symptoms and episodes, assisted if possible by discussions with friends and family members, is crucial to establishing a treatment plan where these comorbidities exist. Children of parents with bipolar disorder more frequently have other mental health problems.

Mania is distinguished from hypomania by length, as hypomania is present if elevated mood symptoms are present for at least four consecutive days. Mania is present if such symptoms are present for more than a week. Unlike mania, hypomania is not always associated with impaired functioning. The biological mechanisms responsible for switching from a manic or hypomanic episode to a depressive episode, or vice versa, remain poorly understood.

Hypomania

Hypomania is the milder form of mania, defined as at least four days of the same criteria as mania. However, it does not cause a significant decrease in the individual’s ability to socialize or work. In addition, it lacks psychotic features such as delusions or hallucinations, and does not require psychiatric hospitalization. Overall functioning may actually increase during episodes of hypomania. It is thought to serve as a defense mechanism against depression by some. Hypomanic episodes rarely progress to full-blown manic episodes. Some people who experience hypomania show increased creativity, while others are irritable or demonstrate poor judgment.

People with bipolar disorder often have other co-existing psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, substance use, personality disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which can add to the burden of illness and worsen the prognosis. Certain medical conditions are also more common in people with bipolar disorder as compared to the general population. This includes increased rates of metabolic syndrome, migraine headaches, obesity and type 2 diabetes. This contributes to a risk of death that is two times higher in those with bipolar disorder as compared to the general population.

Hypomania may feel good to some persons who experience it. Although most people who experience hypomania state that the stress of the experience is very painful. Bipolar people who experience hypomania tend to forget the effects of their actions on those around them. Even when family and friends recognize mood swings, the individual will often deny that anything is wrong. If not accompanied by depressive episodes, hypomanic episodes are often not deemed problematic, unless the mood changes are uncontrollable, or volatile. Most commonly, symptoms continue for a few weeks to a few months.

Mania

Also known as a manic episode, mania is a distinct period of at least one week of elevated or irritable mood, which can range from euphoria to delirium. The core symptom of mania involves an increase in energy of psychomotor activity. Mania can also present with increased self-esteem or grandiosity, racing thoughts, pressured speech that is difficult to interrupt, decreased need for sleep, disinhibited social behavior, increased goal-oriented activities and impaired judgment—exhibition of behaviors characterized as impulsive or high-risk, such as hypersexuality or excessive spending. To meet the definition for a manic episode, these behaviors must impair the individual’s ability to socialize or work. If untreated, a manic episode usually lasts three to six months.

Mood stabilizers — lithium and certain anticonvulsants such as valproate and carbamazepine — are the mainstay of long-term relapse prevention. Antipsychotics are given during acute manic episodes as well as in cases where mood stabilizers are poorly tolerated or ineffective or where compliance is poor.

In severe manic episodes, a person can experience psychotic symptoms, where thought content is affected along with mood. They may feel unstoppable, or as if they have a special relationship with God, a great mission to accomplish, or other grandiose or delusional ideas. This may lead to violent behavior and, sometimes, hospitalization in an inpatient psychiatric hospital. The severity of manic symptoms can be measured by rating scales such as the Young Mania Rating Scale, though questions remain about the reliability of these scales.

The use of antidepressants in depressive episodes is controversial — they can be effective but have been implicated in triggering manic episodes. The treatment of depressive episodes is often difficult. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is effective in acute manic and depressed episodes, especially with psychosis or catatonia. Admission to a psychiatric hospital may be required if a person is a risk to themselves or others; involuntary treatment is sometimes necessary if the affected person refuses treatment.

The onset of a manic or depressive episode is often foreshadowed by sleep disturbance. Mood changes, psychomotor and appetite changes, and an increase in anxiety can also occur up to three weeks before a manic episode develops. Manic individuals often have a history of substance abuse developed over years as a form of “self-medication.”

Best Ways How to Spot Bipolar Disorder Symptoms

Depression

Symptoms of the depressive phase of bipolar disorder include persistent feelings of sadness, irritability or anger, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, excessive or inappropriate guilt, hopelessness, sleeping too much or not enough, changes in appetite and/or weight, fatigue, problems concentrating, self-loathing or feelings of worthlessness, and thoughts of death or suicide. Although the criteria for diagnosing unipolar and bipolar episodes are the same, some clinical features are more common in the latter, including increased sleep, sudden onset and resolution of symptoms, significant weight gain or loss, and severe episodes after childbirth.

Bipolar disorder occurs in less than one percent of the global population. In the United States, about one percent are estimated to be affected at some point in their life; rates appear to be similar in females and males. The most common age at which symptoms begin is 20; an earlier onset in life is associated with a worse prognosis. Around a quarter to a third of people with bipolar disorder have financial, social, or work-related problems due to the illness. Bipolar disorder is among the top 20 causes of disability worldwide and leads to substantial costs for society. Due to lifestyle choices and the side effects of medications, the risk of death from natural causes such as coronary heart disease in people with bipolar disorder is twice that of the general population.

The earlier the age of onset, the more likely the first few episodes are to be depressive. For most people with bipolar types 1 and 2, the depressive episodes are much longer than the manic or hypomanic episodes. Since a diagnosis of bipolar disorder requires a manic or hypomanic episode, many affected individuals are initially misdiagnosed as having major depression and incorrectly treated with prescribed antidepressants.

Best Ways How to Spot Bipolar Disorder Symptoms

Mixed Episodes

In bipolar disorder, a mixed state is an episode during which symptoms of both mania and depression occur simultaneously. Individuals experiencing a mixed state may have manic symptoms. They may manifest as grandiose thoughts while simultaneously experiencing depressive symptoms such as excessive guilt or feeling suicidal. They are considered to have a higher risk for suicidal behavior as depressive emotions such as hopelessness are often paired with mood swings or difficulties with impulse control. Anxiety disorders occur more frequently a comorbidity in mixed bipolar episodes than in non-mixed bipolar depression or mania. Substance abuse (including alcohol) also follows this trend, thereby appearing to depict bipolar symptoms as no more than a consequence of substance abuse.

While the causes of bipolar disorder are not clearly understood, both genetic and environmental factors are thought to play a role. Many genes, each with small effects, may contribute to the development of disorder. Genetic factors account for about 70–90% of the risk of developing bipolar disorder. Environmental risk factors include a history of childhood abuse and long-term stress.

Additional Information

A link between mental illness and professional success or creativity has been suggested. Despite prominence in popular culture, the link between creativity and bipolar has not been rigorously studied. This area of study also is likely affected by confirmation bias. Some evidence suggests that some heritable component of bipolar disorder overlaps with heritable components of creativity. Probands of people with bipolar disorder are more likely to be professionally successful, as well as to demonstrate temperamental traits similar to bipolar disorder. Furthermore, while studies of the frequency of bipolar disorder in creative population samples have been conflicting, full-blown bipolar disorder in creative samples is rare.

Cyclothymia, also known as cyclothymic disorder or cyclothymic personality disorder, is a mental disorder that involves numerous periods of symptoms of depression and periods of symptoms of elevated mood. These symptoms, however, are not sufficient to be a major depressive episode or a hypomanic episode. Symptoms must last for more than one year in children and two years in adults.

Best Ways How to Spot Bipolar Disorder Symptoms

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