Introduction and Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

by Rethink

Introduction

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. Different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. They can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance and even suicide. But there is good news: bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this illness can lead full and productive lives.

Approximately 1% of the population age 18 and above in a given year have bipolar disorder (Regier DA, et al., Arch. Gen. Psy, 1993; 50(2): 85-94.) Bipolar typically develops in late adolescence or early adulthood. However, some people have their first symptoms during childhood, and some develop then late in life. It is often not recognised as an illness, and people may suffer from years before it is properly diagnosed and treated. Like diabetes or heart disease, bipolar disorder is a long-term illness that must be carefully managed throughout a person's life.

Symptoms of bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder causes dramatic mood swings - from overly &high& and/or irritable to sad and hopeless, and the back again, often with periods of normal mood in between. Severe changes in energy and behaviour go along with these changes in mood. The periods of highs and lows are called epidodes of mania and depression.

Mania

Signs and symptoms of manic include:

• increased energy, activity, and restlessness
• excessively &high&, overly good, euphoric mood
• extreme irritability
• racing thoughts and talking very fast, jumping from one idea to another
• distractibility, can't concentrate well
• little sleep needed
• unrealistic beliefs in your own abilities and powers
• poor judgement
• spending sprees
• a lasting period of behaviour that is different from usual
• increased sexual drive
• abuse of drugs, particularly cocaine, alcohol, and sleeping medications
• provocative, intrusive, or aggressive behaviour
• denial that anything is wrong.

A manic episode is diagnosed if elevated mood occurs with three or more of the other symptoms most of the day, nearly every day for one week or longer. If the mood is irritable, four additional symptoms must be present.

A mild to moderate level of mania is called hypomania. Hypomania may feel good to the person who experiences it and may even be associated with good functioning and increased productivity. Thus even when family and friends learn to recognise the mood swings as possible bipolar disorder, the person may deny that anything is wrong. Without proper treatment, however, hypomania can become severe mania in some people or can switch into depression.

Depression

Signs and symtoms of depression incude:

• lasting sad, anxious, or empty mood
• feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
• feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
• loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed, including sex
• decreased energy, a feeling of fatigue or of being &slowed down&
• difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
• restlessness or irritability
• sleeping too much, or can't sleep
• change in appetite and/or unintended weight loss or gain
• chronic pain or other persistend bodily symptoms that are not caused by physical illness or injury
• thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts.

A depressive episode is diagnosed if five of more of these symptoms last most of the day, nearly every day, for a perios of two weeks or longer.

In some people, symptoms of mania and depresion may occur together in what is called a mixed bipolar state. Symptoms of a mixed state often include agitation, trouble sleeping, significant change in appetite, psychosis and suicidal thinking. A person may have a very sad, hopeless mood while at the same time feeling extremely energized.

Psychosis

Sometimes, severe episodes of mania or depression include psychotic symptoms. Common psychotic symtoms are hallucinations (hearing, seeing, or otherwise sensing the presence of things not actually there) and delusions (flase, strongly held beliefs not influenced by logical reasoning or explained by a person's usual cultural concepts). Psychotic symtoms in bipolar disorder tend to reflect the extreme mood state at the time. For example, delusions of grandiosity, such as believing you are the Prime Minister or have special powers or wealth, may occur during mania; delusions of guilt or worthlessness, such as believing that you are ruined and penniless or have committed some terrible crime, may appear during depression. People with bipolar disorder who have these symptoms are sometimes incorrectly diagnosed as having schizophrenia.

About the Author

www.rethink.org
Rethink is the largest severe mental illness charity in the UK. We are dedicated to improving the lives of everyone affected by severe mental illness, whether they have a condition themselves, care for others who do, or are professionals or volunteers working in the mental health field.