Get To Know The Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a mood condition, and about 3 percent of people in the US have it! A big part of it is swinging between very high moods and very low ones. Another word for these moods are manic and depressive episodes! Each of them will last at least a week or two, but some of you can deal with them for months! Mania has to appear at least once for you to get a bipolar 1 disorder diagnosis. Low-grade mania gets you a bipolar 2 disorder diagnosis!
Ladies, a major treatment for bipolar disorder is taking mood stabilizers. Other common medications are antipsychotics and antidepressants for bipolar disorder. You will also benefit from continuous psychotherapy for bipolar disorder. Natural mood stabilizers, like meditation, are out there too. That said, you have to understand the symptoms of bipolar disorder first!
Extreme Mood Swings
Ladies, you will get extreme mood swings in this condition. However, the swings in bipolar disorder aren't what many consider normal. The DSM-5 says that they have to last for certain periods before they qualify as bipolar disorder! Specifically, your mania has to last for at least a week and your depressive episode for at least 2 weeks!
Mania, ladies, is where you have a really high mood for a while. These episodes also involved rapid talking, attention problems, wired energy, and a grandiose sense of yourself! When it's extreme, you will also deal with delusions and hallucinations. Depressive episodes are what they sound like. Besides a low mood, you will see hopelessness, apathy, lack of motivation, and fatigue as well.
Euphoria
Euphoria plays a major role in mania. Ladies, this is the term used for your high mood! It feels a lot like intense excitement and joy. That said, euphoria during a manic episode can also get debilitating in extreme cases. You will feel like you're on top of the world, but you will have grandiose thoughts about your skills. Other things that appear with euphoria are risk behaviors and rapid thoughts.
Ladies, euphoria can reach delusional levels. Think about it like this: artists with bipolar disorder and euphoria will be very excited about starting many projects at the same time. Thye will feel a lot of pride in their work and think it will make them famous so fast. However, when the mania and euphoria fade, they will be left with many unfinished projects that don't make a lot of sense.
Poor Decision-Making
Ladies, another major sign of bipolar disorder is poor decision-making. It's often the reason for many of the negative consequences that stem from this condition! In this condition, poor decisions often go hand in hand with risk behaviors. Two common examples are spending all of your savings and taking drugs! These are popular during mania. However, the depressive episodes include poor decisions too! Drug use happens here as well. Other examples are not eating well and failing to take care of your personal hygiene. In essence, your poor decisions in a depressive episode mean you're not going to take care of your basic needs!
Depressed Mood
It's clear that you will deal with a depressed mood as a symptom of bipolar disorder. It's the hallmark sign of a depressive episode! Remember ladies, this mood has to last at least 2 weeks! You often end up in a depressed mood because of mania when you have bipolar disorder. It's because of the consequences that mania causes! One of the common impulses in mania is to spend a lot of your savings. However, the consequence is financial trouble when you have maxed out your credit card! Financial problems are a common reason for depression in many individuals.
There's more to a depressed mood in bipolar disorder. Ladies, you will also experience a lack of interest in activities you once enjoyed. It's also common to feel persistent low self-esteem and hopelessness! Your depressed mood hits a lot harder after mania. It puts you at a higher risk of suicide! This risk is 71 percent higher when you're in a state that mixes mania with a depressed mood.
Sleep Issues
Ladies, it doesn't matter what part of bipolar disorder you're in. Sleep issues are always a symptom! Insomnia is quite common during mania. Actually, you often won't sleep at all because of your energy and impulsive choices. Many people say it feels like a constant source of caffeine keeping you awake!
That said, when mania ends, you will deal with lots of fatigue catching up with you. Ladies, sleeping problems in this part of bipolar disorder appear as hypersomnia a lot. This means you will sleep so much but won't wake up feeling refreshed! Interrupted sleep is another common problem in this condition.