What is bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, concentration, & activity levels, that can interfere with daily functioning. These mood swings result in severe emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression).
When experiencing mania or hypomania (less severe than mania) you may feel full of energy, euphoric, or excessively irritable. When depressed, you may experience sadness, hopelessness, or have a loss of interest.
Common symptoms may include:
Mania and Hypomania
- Feeling abnormally and persistently upbeat or wired
- Excessively irritable
- Abnormally increased activity or energy
- Inflated sense of well-being and self-confidence
- Decreased need for sleep or pressure to keep
- More talkative than usual
- Racing thoughts or flight of ideas
- Distractibility
- Poor decision-making — i.e., going on unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or making foolish business investments
Major depressive episode
- Depressed mood, such as feeling sad, hopeless or tearful
- Loss of interest or feeling no pleasure at all — especially in activities you once enjoyed
- Significant weight loss or weight gain
- Decreased or increased appetite
- Trouble falling or staying asleep
- Restlessness or slowed behavior
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt
- Problems thinking or concentrating, or indecisiveness
- Recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal ideation, a specific plan for completing suicide or suicide attempt.
How is bipolar disorder treated?
Common treatment methods may include psychotherapy (i.e., cognitive behavioral therapy), psychoeducation (i.e., coping skills & techniques, self-care), & mood stabilizers (i.e., Lithium, Abilify, Depakote).
Bipolar Disorder is a lifelong condition that requires regular psychiatric care in order to promote better outcomes.
SOURCE: APA DSM-5, Mayo Clinic
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