Bipolar Symptoms
An Introduction to Bipolar Disorder
Everybody has mood swings, each person experiences both happy and sad times.
If you think of this as being similar to a pendulum swinging back and forth and the causes of these swings can be due to biological factors and also external events that affect each person and how you deal with these events within your mind.
What is certain is that the pendulum swings in a much wider arc in people with Bipolar Disorder than in people without and
Bipolar Symptoms vary between each person and change in their severity and how often they occur.
Depression or manic episodes are quite common and also for people to live out both sides of this their Bipolar Disorder Symptoms over a period of weeks or perhaps even only a few times over a whole lifetime. The symptoms vary from each person to the next.
Bipolar Symptoms are usually experienced as both 'up and down' mood swings within the individual but more importantly is Bipolar Disorder sufferers can vary in their pattern and again can vary in the amount of time the pendulum arcs in one diretion (either manic or depressive) between each person.
These two sides are called the 'Mania' side and the 'Depression' side.
An Introduction From The Team
Welcome to Bipolar Symptoms.org.uk. If you have come here looking for help then you are most welcome we aim to answer your questions about being bipolar.
You can take a Bipolar Test to check your symptoms, read the experiences of other people to compare your notes to their adverts, you can watch videos. We have also included useful links for you to check out.
This is a growing site and we aim to put you in a position where you can confidently move forward with your treatment, coping and general well being by introducing as many useful features as possible. Bear with us as we funded only by the advertisments you can see on this page, we are ran by a small group of volunteers. All of whom have been where you have right now. We wish you well.
Symptoms of Mania in Bipolar
When you are experiencing the Mania side of the symptoms, you will endure 'high' or 'irritable' mood which lasts at least one week - but usually lasts much longer than this. It can develop quite quickly - over a few days or so. When you are 'high' you will usually have at least 3 or 4 of the following:
- Ideas of grandeur about yourself and your own self-importance.
- Increased energy. You also tend to move quickly and need to have less sleep than usual.
- Be more talkative than usual. You tend to talk quickly. More of a 'Live Wire'.
- Your mind may be like a chattering monkey. You tend to change quickly from one idea to another. Your thoughts are racing.
- Difficult to maintain concentration. Your attention is easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant things.
- Full of new ideas and plans. Often the plans are grandiose and unrealistic.
- Irritation or agitation, particularly with people who do not seem to understand your 'great' ideas and plans. Sometimes this can make you aggressive towards people.
- Wanting to do lots of pleasurable things that could have on occassion have a negative outcome or have a negative nature. For example, you may:
- Spend a lot of money (which you often cannot afford).
- Be less inhibited about your sexual behaviour.
- Make rash decisions, often on the spur of the moment. These can be about jobs, relationships, money, health, etc, and are often disastrous.
- Take part in risky 'exciting' adventures.
- Drink a lot of alcohol, or take illegal drugs.
The manic or 'mania' phase is a mood that lasts at least one week but may last much longer than this. This symptoms of bipolar can can develop in a short amount of time, over a few days or so. During the 'high' phase you will usually have at least a few of the above symptoms:
During severe cases when you experience mania it may be accommpanied by psychotic symptoms where reality does not appear to apply or seem real and it is possible to hear voices of which do not exist in reality - except in your mind, they will however seem quite real. Other symptoms during the manic phase could be that you believe you have false beliefs (delusional) about being important e.g you may believe you are somebody famous etc.
It is possible that you might not even realise that you are experiencing these symptoms when you are in the manic phase but the bipolar symptoms and the behaviour you exhibit can seem quite strange or bizarre to other people and any attempt to help you by pointing this out may tend to irritate you as you feel really good during this phase. The consequences of this symptom of bipolar can impact upon you personal life over time such as jobs, relationships and finances.
Hypomania is the term used when you are high, but the symptoms are not as severe or extreme as in true mania. You may function quite well if you have hypomania. For example, you may just appear to be full of energy, the 'life and soul' of the party, work too much, but find it difficult to 'switch off' and relax. However, you are still at risk of making rash and dangerous decisions. Family and friends will recognise that you are not your normal self.
What are the symptoms of depression?
Depression is a term we use everyday to describe feeling and experiences which are common for all people such as sadness and stress symptoms. They are not true symptoms of bipolar disorder such as "I'm depressed" when in fact they mean "I'm fed up because of such and such...or something has not gone your way e.g, redundancy, etc. These ups and downs of life are common and normal
With medically diagnosed depression you may experience a low mood and other symptoms each day for at least two weeks. Symptoms also become severe enough to interfere with day-to-day functions. The following is a list of common symptoms of depression. You may not have them all, but you usually develop several if you have depression:
- Low mood for most of the day, nearly every day. Things always seem to be worse than they should be.
- Loss of enjoyment and interest in life, even for things that you would normally enjoy.
- Abnormal sadness, often feeling like crying to yourself.
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, or useless.
- No motivation. Even simple tasks seem difficult.
- Poor concentration. It may be difficult to focus on activities at work or even reading etc.
- Sleeping problems:
- Sometimes difficulty in going to sleep.
- Sometimes waking early and unable to get back to sleep.
- Sleeping too much sometimes occurs.
- Lacking in energy, always feeling tired.
- Difficulty with affection, including going off sex.
- Poor appetite and weight loss. Sometimes the reverse happens with comfort eating and weight gain.
- Being irritable, agitated, or restless.
- Symptoms often seem worse first thing each day.
- Physical symptoms such as headaches, palpitations, chest pains, and 'aches and pains'.
- Recurrent thoughts of death. This is not usually a fear of death, more a preoccupation with death and dying. Some people get suicidal ideas - "life's not worth living".
Some people do not realise when they develop depression. They may know that they are not right and are not functioning well, but don't know why. Some people think that they have a physical illness; for example, if they lose weight.
Despite the future perhaps seeming 'dark and gloomy' there are in fact several treatments for Bipolar Symptoms and we have included a helpful list of the most popular safe and natural bipolar disorder treatments here.
One of the most commonly asked questions is 'Am I Bipolar?' if you are looking for a Bipolar Test then this page can help you. Just identify the symptoms in yourself to check if your they are in fact Bipolar Symptoms or something else.
Never feel alone in your suffering. Bipolar Disorder and it's symptoms are experienced everyday by many succesful people and you are certainly not alone in this world with this illness. Check out a number of famous bipolar people here on this page.
Still have questions about Bipolar Disorder? We have tried to answer the most commonly asked questions here on this Bipolar Symptoms FAQ page.