Here are the warning signs of Bipolar Disorder that you might be ignoring
BIPOLAR DISORDER – This is a mental condition characterized by mood swings from emotional highs and lows and it has two types.
Bipolar I have depression alternating with severely elevated mood or mania, according to the article from The Healthy while bipolar II features less severe manic symptoms, called hypomania and this is more common.
Diagnosis of bipolar disorder can be difficult because mood swings can be the result of a temporary circumstance. Based on the article, these signs will determine if a person is just undergoing a phase or if it something more serious mental condition, if it’s already bipolar disorder.
Downright depressed
The signs of a person with depression can be the same with a bipolar person in a depressive state. Don Malone, MD, chair of the department of psychiatry at Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio said that problems with energy, appetite, sleep, and focus can be both seen in these two different mental conditions. However, the determining factor to this is the period of mania, or elevated mood, that follows the depression. This will point out that the person has bipolar.
Sleeplessness
Insomnia or sleeplessness can be a result of stress or anticipation of something exciting. However, the manic phase of bipolar disorder will require significantly less sleep than usual and there are cases that none at all. This lasts for days at a time but they still feel energized. Staying on a regular sleep schedule is one of the first things that Carrie Bearden, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and psychology at UCLA, recommends for bipolar patients.
Extremely in a great mood
Everyone would love to have a great mood all day long. However, this can be a sign that a person is bipolar if the mood elevation is extreme and with no apparent reason at all. If this mood lasts for a week or more, combined with other symptoms, then, this might a warning sign for this disorder.
Gets distracted easily
Dr. Murthy said that when a person gets distracted, completing a task can no longer be done and if this interferes with work and relationship, this might be a sign of the bipolar disorder.
Irritability
“Anger out of proportion to the situation, rising too fast, getting out of control, lasting for hours, and shifting from one person to another, would differentiate the behavior as a possible bipolar symptom,” James Phelps, MD, director of the Mood Disorders Program at Samaritan Mental Health in Corvallis, Oregon said. This sign could be tricky since people tend to be irritated when frustration and disappointment happens.
Talking and thinking fast
If a person becomes chatty all of a sudden, which is not usual before, as well as coming up with an idea which the person and people around might not keep up can be a sign of mania. Based on the article, a person in a manic would sometimes not allow other people to say a single word.
Extreme confidence but no good decision
“They feel grandiose and don’t consider consequences; everything sounds good to them,” Dr. Malone explained. With this, taking risks and engaging in erratic behaviors could happen such as spending too much money or having an affair.
Drugs and alcohol use
People with bipolar disorder tend to calm the symptoms with alcohol or drugs during a manic phase. In addition, they may use alcohol to cheer them up during a depressive state. “People with bipolar disorder have a higher than average rate of a co-occurring substance or alcohol use,” Dr. Murthy said.