Are you bipolar ? check out more signs here
Mood swings are part of life. But when are the signs of bipolar disorder? After all, everybody experiences emotional ups and downs from time to time, and that’s not necessarily a sign there’s something serious going on. For some people, however, those emotional ups and downs are more persistent, extreme, and debilitating and that they might be a sign of a psychological state condition like bipolar disorder.
Sometimes referred to as manic-depressive disorder, bipolar disorder may be a condition that causes drastic shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels. While the disorder is characterized by emotional ups and downs, symptoms can vary counting on the sort of bipolar disorder someone has. Some people witness milder symptoms that do not drastically disrupt their daily lives, while other people with the condition have more severe forms of bipolar disorder that can significantly interfere with their day-to-day functioning.
Still, it is important to talk to a medical provider who can diagnose and treat the condition and educate you about the disorder, If you are experiencing signs of bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorders are often complicated to treat, but luckily, there are several effective treatment options. When you find the proper ones for you, it is possible to live a healthy, full life.
WHAT’S BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Bipolar disorder is a psychological condition characterized by dramatic mood swings including emotional lows ( called depressive episodes) and emotional highs (manic or hypomanic episodes), according to the Mayo Clinic. While bipolar disorder, by definition, includes depression, the disorder is distinct from clinical depression because it involves another component. “ The difference between major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder is mainly the very fact that bipolar cases can get elevated,” Po Wang, M.D., director of the Stanford Bipolar Disorders Clinic, tells SELF. This “ elevation” is not referring to simply coming out of a depressive episode it means having an unusually high level of mood and energy.
Bipolar disorder may be incompletely caused by genetics, but certain environmental factors, similar to stress, might contribute to its onset. People generally have bipolar disorder symptoms in early maturity, between eighteen to twenty years of age, though some studies suggest bipolar disorder’s onset usually occurs later ( aged than age twenty-five). Dr Wang says people frequently start passing extreme changes in mood when they are youthful and also develop distinct episodes of depression and mania or hypomania during adolescence or their early twenties. In some cases, children can witness symptoms of bipolar disorder.
TYPES OF BIPOLAR DISORDER
Bipolar disorder, generally, causes emotional ups and downs, but it can manifest in several ways counting on the type of bipolar disorder someone has. Here are the four types of bipolar disorder
BIPOLAR I
According to Paula Zimbrean, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, bipolar I am the most severe type of bipolar disorder. It includes more intense symptoms that last longer. To be diagnosed with bipolar I disorder, you must have at least one episode of mania that lasts for at least one week or leads to psychiatric hospitalization.
Bipolar I disorder usually involves recurring episodes; fifty of the patients with the disorder end up developing a second episode within two years of the first one.
BIPOLAR II
Bipolar II, says Dr Wang, involves less severe depressive and manic episodes than bipolar I, although some people experience severe depression and hypomania, a milder sort of mania.
To be diagnosed with bipolar II, Dr Zimbrean says someone has got to have at least one episode of hypomania lasting at least four days and one major depressive episode.
Bipolar II is milder than bipolar I, but you should not confuse it as a form of bipolar I disorder because it is a separate medical diagnosis. It is also just as important to treat. People with bipolar II may not experience extreme mania or do anything super risky, but they can be depressed for longer periods, which may interfere with their capability to function in diurnal life.
CYCLOTHYMIA AFFECTION
Cyclothymic disorder is another condition on the bipolar spectrum. However, people with the cyclothymic disorder do not have full-bloated mania or depression, so they can not be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. “ Their mood is constantly fluctuating between mild depression and periods of elevated mood, but it is not severe enough to be incapacitating or recognized as very abnormal,” Francis Mondimore, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Mood affections Clinic and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, tells SELF. “ When it is diagnosed, these mood fluctuations are very treatable and often very responsive to treatments with the drug.”
UNCLASSIFIED BIPOLAR DISORDER
Sometimes, a person can parade symptoms of bipolar complaint but do not meet the criteria for having bipolar disorder. For example, Dr Wang says illicit drug use can complicate bipolar symptoms, making it catchy to tell if depression and mania stem from the drug use, from the person’s genetics or both.
WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS OF BIPOLAR DISORDER ?
Because there is not just one type of bipolar disorder, people’s symptoms and the severity of those symptoms can be different. That said, all types of bipolar include episodes of mania or hypomania and depression, potentially resulting in distress and difficulty performing in everyday life. Mood occurrences can vary in duration, but symptoms generally last every day for the utmost of the day, for as long as several days or weeks.
It is also important to notice that a person’s bipolar disorder signs and symptoms can change over time. For illustration, bipolar symptoms can do only in gestation or change when the seasons change. And some people can also experience anxiety in addition to their mood episodes.
Here are some of the most common symptoms of depressive, manic, and mixed bipolar episodes that can occur with bipolar disorder.
WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS OF DEPRESSION ?
One of the primary features of bipolar disorder is periods of depression. Depressive episodes in bipolar disorder can look a lot like major depressive disorder, which includes symptoms such as
- Persistent sadness
- Pessimism
- Hopelessness
- Irritability
- Loss of energy
- Loss of interest in activities
- Memory issues
- Trouble concentrating
- Changes in sleep habits
- Suicidal thoughts
- Changes in appetite
A few key things to know about some of these symptoms While other types of depression can beget people to eat and sleep less, Dr Wang says bipolar depression usually causes increased appetite, increased sleep, and weight gain. And to stress for a few people, Dr Mondimore says, depression related to bipolar disorder can affect suicidal feelings. Severe depression can also lead to psychosis. All of these are examples of why bipolar disorder is so important to diagnose and treat.
WHAT ARE SOME COMMON MANIA SYMPTOMS?
According to the Mayo Clinic, manic and hypomanic episodes are periods of mood elevation that generally manifest in
- Needing less sleep
- Being overly confident
- Feeling irritable
- Spending tons of money, or happening spontaneous trips
- Risky behaviour like illicit drug use
- Jumpiness
- Feeling uncharacteristically upbeat
- Excessive energy
- Feeling euphoric
- Talking more than normal or talking faster than normal
Mania can cause people to act out of character; for example, they could typically be shy and suddenly come gregarious during a manic episode. Often people do not recognize the harmful effects of their out-of-character behaviours.
Dr Mondimore says mania can also cause racing thoughts and an increased energy level. However, people can have distortions of thinking we call delusions, and they can also have hallucinations, “ If it gets to its most severe form.
WHAT DOES A BIPOLAR MIXED EPISODE FEEL LIKE ?
Mixed mood Occurrences include symptoms of both depression and mania. For case, you might feel depressed and also have ages where you are jumpy or speak rapidly. Or you will feel sad and hopeless and have a lot of energy.
Generally, Dr Wang says, people witness mixed occurrences later in the course of their illness, between ages thirties and fifties. Mixed occurrences are also linked with lawless substance use.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF BIPOLAR DISORDER IN TEENS AND CHILDREN ?
Generally, people are diagnosed with bipolar disorder as teens or grown-ups, but children can also develop symptoms. Teenagers and children with bipolar disorder can have manic, depressive, or mixed occurrences, and the symptoms in grown-ups and adolescents are veritably alike. Still, it can be hard to tell whether your child has bipolar disorder or another condition affecting young people, like an anxiety disorder or attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, because they have some common symptoms, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Bipolar disorder can be complicated and requires a careful and thorough evaluation by a trained, experienced internal health professional. However, it is a good idea to talk to a trained child psychologist who is familiar with the craft of these psychological health conditions and can precisely diagnose your loved one, If you think your child might have bipolar disorder.
HOW TO GET TREATMENT FOR BIPOLAR DISORDER
Still, you may feel overwhelmed, If you think you may have bipolar disorder. It can be difficult to reach out for help, and indeed if you know you need help, it is hard to know where to start.
Recognizing your signs and symptoms is that the first step toward feeling more like yourself. The important thing, Dr Mondimore says, is to seek out a health care provider you trust for diagnosis and treatment and, even as important to find out about the symptoms you are experiencing. Some studies show that people with bipolar disorder who study and understand their condition have fewer relapses and ultimately, enjoy a far better quality of life. “ Understanding one’s illness can help people recover from it,” says Dr Mondimore. However, you can talk to your doctor about the best way to find a specialist who’s endured bipolar disorder, If you do not formerly have a therapist. Or you can reach out to an association like the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which offers guidance on how you can find help through email, an instant conversation, or a hotline.
Although bipolar disorder is considered a lifelong condition, chancing the right treatment can help you feel more in control of your life. According to Dr Wang, bipolar disorder treatment is most effective when it includes a combination of medication occasionally, further than one kind of and psychotherapy. However, other treatments can help to reduce the inflexibility of certain symptoms, If those are not enough to help manage bipolar disorder.
Still, call the risk-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), available twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week, If you are in crisis or you are experiencing studies of suicide.
SOURCE
https://www.self.com/story/signs-symptoms-bipolar-disorder