14 Signs of Bipolar Disorder

In this excerpt from a recent Depression and Anxiety Bulletin, medical editor Karen L. Swartz, M.D., one of the physicians who evaluated me in Spring of 2006, reviews 14 symptoms of bipolar disorder.

Formerly known as manic-depressive illness, bipolar disorder is a mental illness characterized by alternating periods of mania and major depression. Typically, the mood of a person with bipolar disorder will swing from overly "high" and irritable to sad and hopeless, and then back again, with periods of normal mood in between.

Manic episodes are characterized by a distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood. The episodes, with their restless energy and volatile mood swings, are severe enough to cause trouble at work and home. Episodes of milder manic symptoms are called hypomania.

Men with bipolar disorder tend to have more manic episodes; women are more likely to experience depressive episodes. The time between cycles can vary greatly. Bipolar disorder can begin with a bout of either depression or mania, but about two-thirds of bipolar disorder cases start with a manic episode, and mania tends to predominate. Signs and symptoms of mania include:

1. Excessively "high," overly good, euphoric mood

2. Extreme irritability

3. Increased energy, activity, and restlessness

4. Racing thoughts and talking very fast, jumping from one idea to another

5. Distractibility and inability to concentrate

6. Diminished need for sleep

7. Unrealistic, grandiose beliefs in one's abilities and powers

8. Poor judgment

9. Spending sprees

10. A lasting period of behavior that is distinctly different from usual behavior

11. Increased sexual drive

12. Abuse of drugs, particularly cocaine, alcohol, and sleeping medications

13. Provocative, intrusive, or aggressive behavior

14. Denial that anything is wrong

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