Signs of Bipolar disorder
Symptoms of Bipolar disorder
The list of medical symptoms mentioned in various sources
for Bipolar disorder may include:
List of 57
Bipolar disorder Symptoms
Note that Bipolar disorder symptoms usually refers to various medical symptoms known to a patient,
but the phrase Bipolar disorder signs may often refer to those signs
that are only noticable by a doctor.
Signs or Symptoms of Bipolar disorder:
Going to Extremes Bipolar Disorder: NIMH (Excerpt)
Cycles, or episodes, of depression, mania, or "mixed" manic and depressive
symptoms typically recur and may become more frequent, often disrupting
work, school, family, and social life.
Depression: Symptoms include a persistent sad mood; loss of
interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed; significant
change in appetite or body weight; difficulty sleeping or oversleeping;
physical slowing or agitation; loss of energy; feelings of worthlessness
or inappropriate guilt; difficulty thinking or concentrating; and
recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.
Mania: Abnormally and persistently elevated (high) mood or
irritability accompanied by at least three of the following symptoms:
overly-inflated self-esteem; decreased need for sleep; increased
talkativeness; racing thoughts; distractibility; increased goal-directed
activity such as shopping; physical agitation; and excessive involvement
in risky behaviors or activities.
"Mixed" state: Symptoms of mania and depression are present at
the same time. The symptom picture frequently includes agitation, trouble
sleeping, significant change in appetite, psychosis, and suicidal
thinking. Depressed mood accompanies manic activation.
Especially early in the course of illness, the episodes may be
separated by periods of wellness during which a person suffers few to no
symptoms. When 4 or more episodes of illness occur within a 12-month
period, the person is said to have bipolar disorder with rapid
cycling. Bipolar disorder is often complicated by co-occurring alcohol
or substance abuse. 4
Severe depression or mania may be accompanied by symptoms of
psychosis. These symptoms include: hallucinations (hearing, seeing,
or otherwise sensing the presence of stimuli that are not there) and
delusions (false personal beliefs that are not subject to reason or
contradictory evidence and are not explained by a person's cultural
concepts). Psychotic symptoms associated with bipolar typically reflect
the extreme mood state at the time. (Source: excerpt from Going to Extremes Bipolar Disorder: NIMH)
Let's Talk About Depression: NIMH (Excerpt)
When You're Depressed...
- You feel sad or cry a lot and it doesn't go away.
- You feel guilty for no reason; you feel like you're no good; you've
lost your confidence.
- Life seems meaningless or like nothing good is ever going to happen
again. You have a negative attitude a lot of the time, or it seems like
you have no feelings.
- You don't feel like doing a lot of the things you used to like -
like music, sports, being with friends, going out - and you want to be
left alone most of the time.
- It's hard to make up your mind. You forget lots of things, and it's
hard to concentrate.
- You get irritated often. Little things make you lose your temper;
you over-react.
- Your sleep pattern changes; you start sleeping a lot more or you
have trouble falling asleep at night. Or you wake up really early most
mornings and can't get back to sleep.
- Your eating pattern changes; you've lost your appetite or you eat a
lot more.
- You feel restless and tired most of the time.
- You think about death, or feel like you're dying, or have thoughts
about committing suicide.
When You're Manic...
- You feel high as a kite...like you're "on top of the world."
- You get unreal ideas about the great things you can do...things that
you really can't do.
- Thoughts go racing through your head, you jump from one subject to
another, and you talk a lot.
- You're a non-stop party, constantly running around.
- You do too many wild or risky things: with driving, with spending
money, with sex, etc.
- You're so "up" that you don't need much sleep.
- You're rebellious or irritable and can't get along at home or
school, or with your friends.
(Source: excerpt from
Let's Talk About Depression: NIMH)
Bipolar Disorder: NIMH (Excerpt)
Bipolar disorder causes dramatic mood swings—from overly "high" and/or
irritable to sad and hopeless, and then back again, often with periods of
normal mood in between. Severe changes in energy and behavior go along
with these changes in mood. The periods of highs and lows are called
episodes of mania and depression.
Signs and symptoms of mania (or a manic episode)
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 one's abilities and powers
- Poor judgment
- Spending sprees
- A lasting period of behavior that is different from usual
- Increased sexual drive
- Abuse of drugs, particularly cocaine, alcohol, and sleeping
medications
- Provocative, intrusive, or aggressive behavior
- Denial that anything is wrong
A manic episode is diagnosed if elevated mood occurs with 3 or more of
the other symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for 1 week or
longer. If the mood is irritable, 4 additional symptoms must be
present.
Signs and symptoms of depression (or a depressive
episode) include:
- 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 persistent 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 5 or more of these symptoms last
most of the day, nearly every day, for a period of 2 weeks or longer.
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 enhanced productivity. Thus even when family and
friends learn to recognize 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.
Sometimes, severe episodes of mania or depression include symptoms of
psychosis (or psychotic symptoms). Common psychotic symptoms are
hallucinations (hearing, seeing, or otherwise sensing the presence of
things not actually there) and delusions (false, strongly held beliefs not
influenced by logical reasoning or explained by a person's usual cultural
concepts). Psychotic symptoms in bipolar disorder tend to reflect the
extreme mood state at the time. For example, delusions of grandiosity,
such as believing one is the President or has special powers or wealth,
may occur during mania; delusions of guilt or worthlessness, such as
believing that one is ruined and penniless or has committed some terrible
crime, may appear during depression. People with bipolar disorder who have
these symptoms are sometimes incorrectly diagnosed as having
schizophrenia, another severe mental illness.
It may be helpful to think of the various mood states in bipolar
disorder as a spectrum or continuous range. At one end is severe
depression, above which is moderate depression and then mild low mood,
which many people call "the blues" when it is short-lived but is termed
"dysthymia" when it is chronic. Then there is normal or balanced mood,
above which comes hypomania (mild to moderate mania), and then severe
mania.
In some people, however, symptoms of mania and depression 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. (Source: excerpt from Bipolar Disorder: NIMH)
Bipolar Disorder: NIMH (Excerpt)
Descriptions offered by people with bipolar disorder give valuable
insights into the various mood states associated with the illness:
Depression: I doubt completely my ability to do anything
well. It seems as though my mind has slowed down and burned out to the
point of being virtually useless…. [I am] haunt[ed]… with the total, the
desperate hopelessness of it all…. Others say, "It's only temporary, it
will pass, you will get over it," but of course they haven't any idea of
how I feel, although they are certain they do. If I can't feel, move,
think or care, then what on earth is the point?
Hypomania:At first when I'm high, it's tremendous… ideas are
fast… like shooting stars you follow until brighter ones appear…. All
shyness disappears, the right words and gestures are suddenly there…
uninteresting people, things become intensely interesting. Sensuality is
pervasive, the desire to seduce and be seduced is irresistible. Your
marrow is infused with unbelievable feelings of ease, power, well-being,
omnipotence, euphoria… you can do anything… but, somewhere this
changes.
Mania: The fast ideas become too fast and there are far too
many… overwhelming confusion replaces clarity… you stop keeping up with
it—memory goes. Infectious humor ceases to amuse. Your friends become
frightened…. everything is now against the grain… you are irritable,
angry, frightened, uncontrollable, and trapped.
(Source: excerpt from Bipolar Disorder: NIMH)
Bipolar Disorder Research at the National Institute of Mental Health: NIMH (Excerpt)
When the illness begins before or soon after puberty, it is often
characterized by a continuous, rapid-cycling, irritable, and mixed symptom
state that may co-occur with disruptive behavior disorders, particularly
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or conduct disorder (CD),
or may have features of these disorders as initial symptoms. In contrast,
later adolescent- or adult-onset bipolar disorder tends to begin suddenly,
often with a classic manic episode, and to have a more episodic pattern
with relatively stable periods between episodes. There is also less
co-occurring ADHD or CD among those with later onset illness.
(Source: excerpt from Bipolar Disorder Research at the National Institute of Mental Health: NIMH)
Depression Research: NIMH (Excerpt)
Bipolar disorder (or manic-depressive illness) is
characterized by episodes of major depression as well as episodes of mania
– periods of abnormally and persistently elevated mood or irritability
accompanied by at least three of the following symptoms: overly-inflated
self-esteem; decreased need for sleep; increased talkativeness; racing
thoughts; distractibility; increased goal-directed activity or physical
agitation; and excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a
high potential for painful consequences. While sharing some of the
features of major depression, bipolar disorder is a different illness that
is discussed in detail in a separate NIMH publication.
(Source: excerpt from Depression Research: NIMH)
Medications: NIMH (Excerpt)
When people are in a manic "high," they may be overactive, overly
talkative, have a great deal of energy, and have much less need for sleep
than normal. They may switch quickly from one topic to another, as if they
cannot get their thoughts out fast enough. Their attention span is often
short, and they can be easily distracted. Sometimes people who are "high"
are irritable or angry and have false or inflated ideas about their
position or importance in the world. They may be very elated, and full of
grand schemes that might range from business deals to romantic sprees.
Often, they show poor judgment in these ventures. Mania, untreated, may
worsen to a psychotic state. (Source: excerpt from Medications: NIMH)
More Symptoms of Bipolar disorder:
More detailed symptom information may be found on the symptoms of Bipolar disorder article.
In addition to the above medical information, to get a full picture
of the possible signs or symptoms of this condition
and also possibly the signs and symptoms of its related medical conditions,
it may be necessary to examine symptoms
that may be
caused by:
Medical articles on signs and symptoms:
These general reference articles may be related
to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
What are the signs of Bipolar disorder?
The phrase "signs of Bipolar disorder" should, strictly speaking,
refer only to those signs and symptoms of Bipolar disorder that are not readily apparent to the patient.
The word "symptoms of Bipolar disorder" is the more general meaning; see symptoms of Bipolar disorder.
The signs and symptom information on this page
attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Bipolar disorder.
This medical information about signs and symptoms for Bipolar disorder has been gathered
from various sources,
may not be fully accurate,
and may not be the full list of Bipolar disorder signs or Bipolar disorder symptoms.
Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Bipolar disorder may vary on an individual basis for each patient.
Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they
are indeed Bipolar disorder symptoms.
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