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Bipolar disorder is usually diagnosed after a person has one or more
manic
episodes. People who have the classic form of bipolar disorder experience
alternating periods of
depressed moods and periods of manic or excited moods.
This condition is sometimes referred to as "mood swings" or manic depressive
disorder. Other people with bipolar disorder have episodes of a manic mood
without episodes of depression. Still others with bipolar disorder have a
mixture of depression and mania, a state of hyperactivity, at the same time.
There are different types of bipolar disorder. The type depends whether the
recent mood was elevated, depressed, or mixed.
Some of the characteristics of
mania appear as opposites of
depression. Rather
than a general slowing down of thought and activity, which is very common in
depression, the person with mania experiences a speeding up of thought and
activity. Also, with a manic episode the person's self-esteem and mood are
elevated, which is unlike what happens in depression. A person experiencing a
manic episode frequently encounters difficulty with relationships and problems
at work, at school, or with the law.
There is a milder form of mania which is called hypomania. The person who is
hypomanic experiences speeded up speech, thought, and behaviors, but usually
functions normally.
Characteristics of bipolar disorder include the manic and depressed phases.
Characteristics associated with mania include:
- Irritability
- Euphoria
- Hostility
- Decreased sleep
- Rapid speech
- Difficulty focusing attention
- Abundance of energy
- Inflated self-esteem
- Grandiose or lofty plans
- Poor judgment
- Hypersexual feelings
If not controlled, mania can escalate and become a severe condition with
psychotic behavior.
Depressive characteristics include:
- Increased or decreased sleep
- Weight gain or weight loss
- Severe sadness
- Crying spells
- Loss of joy
- Loss of interest in activities
Severe depression may lead to thoughts and plans of suicide. If not treated
adequately, death through suicide is a very real possibility in the severely
depressed person with bipolar disorder.
No. Patients with Bipolar Disorder may recover from their depressed or manic
episodes and have a normal mood state. However, they always run the risk of
having further episodes of depression or mania, especially if they are not on
mood-regulating medication.
In addition, patients may be hypomanic. That is, they may have some symptoms
of mania but not for long enough or severely enough to interfere with their
functioning in a marked way. This can be difficult to distinguish from feeling
"average" or "normal" in mood.
Finally, patients may have a mixed episode, during which they show symptoms
of depression and mania concurrently or symptoms of one type or the other on
different days within the same week.
continue: Bipolar Disorder: Genetics, Diagnosis,
Treatment
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Reviewed: 04/2006
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