Bipolar Symptoms Explained

"What are Bipolar Symptoms?"- Part 2:

"What is Mania, Major Depression, Mixed Episodes and Hypomania?... Plus Good News for Sufferers!"

Read Part 1 - The Basic Cycles or Bipolar Disorder

"More about Bipolar Symptoms – What is Mania?"

Okay, let's explain Bipolar symptoms, starting with Mania...

1. Mania is a period of unusually elevated or irritable mood, which lasts for more than a week.

2. During this time, you have suffered from three (or more) of the following Bipolar symptoms:

-1. cockiness or inflated self-esteem, which could also include outrageous delusions

-2. decreased need for sleep (e.g., feels rested after only 3 hours of sleep)

-3. more talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking

-4. flight of ideas or racing thoughts

-5. easily distracted - attention is too easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant distractions

-6. increase in goal-directed activity (either socially, at work or school, or sexually) or compulsive anxiety

-7. extreme involvement in enjoyable activities that have a high risk of pain and suffering (e.g., buying sprees, sexual recklessness, or foolish business investments)

3. Mania symptoms are not the same as a Mixed Episode (see explanation coming further down).

4. Mania can affect you at work, socially or in your relationships with others. You could need hospitalization to prevent hurting yourself or others, or if you become psychotic.

5. The Mania symptoms don't happen because of the effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication, or other treatment) or a general medical condition (e.g., overactive thyroid gland). CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR AS THYROIDISM CAN CAUSE DEPRESSION. This can be remedied.

"Bipolar symptoms – What is Major Depression?"

1. Major Depression happens when you suffer from five (or more) of the following Bipolar symptoms - and have lasted for at least two weeks and at least one of the symptoms is either (1) or (2).

-1. you have a depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day (e.g., feel sad or empty) or others notice this (e.g., appears tearful). Note: In children and adolescents, can be irritable mood.

-2. you have a loss of interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day

-3. you have significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day. Note: In children, consider failure to make expected weight gains.

-4. you have insomnia or hyper-somnia nearly every day

-5. you have nervous habits (pacing about a room, wringing hands, pulling off clothing and putting it back on and similar actions) or retardation (thoughts and actions slowing down) nearly every day fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day

-6. you have feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick)

-7. lack of ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day

-8. recurring thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurring suicidal fantasies without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide

2. Major Depression symptoms are not the same as a Mixed Episode.

3. Major Depression symptoms cause distress socially, at work or in other important day to day activities.

4. Major Depression symptoms are not due to the effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., hypothyroidism).

5. Major Depression symptoms are not due to grieving, i.e., after the loss of a loved one. The Bipolar symptoms last for longer than 2 months or obviously affect your impairment, you have a morbid preoccupation with worthlessness, suicidal fantasy, psychotic symptoms, or agitated habits and slowed thought and actions.

"Bipolar symptoms – What is a Mixed Episode?"

1. The Mixed Episode Bipolar symptoms include those of Mania and Major Depression (except for length of time) nearly every day during at least a 1-week period.

2. A Mixed Episode causes severe impairment at work, socially or in relationships with others. Could need hospitalization to prevent harm to self or others.

3. Mixed Episode symptoms are not due to effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication, or other treatment) or a general medical condition (e.g., overactive thyroid gland). CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR AS THYROIDISM CAN CAUSE DEPRESSION. This can be remedied.

"Bipolar symptoms – What is Hypomania?"

1. Hypomania is a period of intense happiness or irritability, lasting at least 4 days that is clearly different from the usual non depressed mood.

2. During this time, you suffer from three (or more) of the following Bipolar symptoms:

-1. cockiness or inflated self-esteem, which could also include outrageous delusions

-2. decreased need for sleep (e.g., feels rested after only 3 hours of sleep)

-3. more talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking

-4. flight of ideas or racing thoughts

-5. easily distracted - attention is too easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant distractions

-6. increase in goal-directed activity (either socially, at work or school, or sexually) or nervous habits.

-7. extreme involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (e.g., buying sprees, sexual recklessness, or foolish business investments)

3. The Hypomania episode is associated with an obvious change in functioning that is out of character.

4. The interruption in mood and the change in performance are obvious.

5. The Hypomania episode is not severe enough to cause impairment socially or at work, or to require hospitalization, and there are no psychotic features.

6. The Hypomania Bipolar symptoms are not due to effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication, or other treatment) or a general medical condition (e.g., overactive thyroid gland). CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR AS THYROIDISM CAN CAUSE DEPRESSION. This can be remedied.

"What Bipolar Symptoms are you required to have to be officially diagnosed?"

According to the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (or DSM-IV-TR), to be diagnosed with bipolar I disorder requires at least one manic or mixed episode, but can also include hypomanic or depressive episodes. A depressive episode is not required for a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder.

To be diagnosed with bipolar II, this would require that you have suffered neither a manic nor mixed episode, but at least one hypomanic episode and one major depressive episode.

To be diagnosed with cyclothymic disorder, this would require incidences of numerous hypomanic episodes, blended together with depressive episodes that do not meet the criteria for major depressive episodes.

If you clearly seem to be suffering from some type of bipolar disorder but do not meet the criteria for one of the conditions above, you could receive a diagnosis of Bipolar, Not Otherwise Specified (NOS).

Now that we’ve done our best to explain Bipolar symptoms, here is a list of resources we recommend to further help you understand the disease…

"Good news in research of treatments for Bipolar symptoms..."

A Bipolar Disorder Success Story!

Good News for Bipolar Type 2

Read our Free Report on 6 Ingredients to Cure Depression

Back to Home from Bipolar Symptoms – Part 2

Read Part 1

Sources:

Wikipedia contributors, "Bipolar disorder," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bipolar_disorder&oldid=46163550 (accessed March 30, 2006).

National Institute of Mental Health, Signs and Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder / http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/manic.cfm (accessed March 30, 2006)

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 2000. / http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/bip1dis.htm (accessed March 30, 2006)

Back to Home

ShareFacebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Reddit WhatsApp