Free Bipolar newsletter!
Fields marked with a '*' are required.
Other Sites
Signs of Bipolar
The signs of bipolar may be composed of both depression and mania. Patients are said to be experiencing signs of bipolar when they have frequent mood swings. Signs of bipolar may not really be noticed in their early stages by family members, and even doctors. In order to diagnose signs of bipolar early, it may be best to have a little bit of knowledge on each symptom of bipolar disorder.
The signs of bipolar may be classified into four, namely:
Mania
Hypomania
Depression
Mixed episode
Mania, or manic episode, is usually experienced by patients with bipolar disorder. Having a manic episode is among the signs of bipolar and is observed to involve a positive and heightened mood which then turns into a feeling of extreme irritability. Mania in a person includes the following signs of bipolar:
Thoughts that race and being very energetic
Heightened sexual drive
Behaving aggressively
Hypomania is also one of the signs of bipolar that is milder than manic episodes, with symptoms that are less severe. Just like a person with a manic episode, a person with hypomania may have heightened mood levels, but they act more productively.
Among the signs of bipolar, having a hypomanic episode may be the least negative of all; in fact, patients who experience hypomania even proceed to stopping their medication because they feel better. However, hypomania is said to not last long, and eventually leads to mania and even extreme depression, the more serious signs of bipolar in patients.
Depression is also one of the signs of bipolar that may be considered as the exact opposite of mania. It may be present in patients for a couple of weeks, thus, making it hard for patients to live normally. The signs of bipolar characteristic of depression include:
Being pessimistic
Having guilty feelings
Suicidal thoughts
A mixed episode is the last among the signs of bipolar. It may be considered as the most negative symptom because it is a mixture of depression and mania in patients. Of all the signs of bipolar, the mixed episode results to greater suicide rates in people with bipolar disorder.
Having awareness of the signs of bipolar may actually help you recognize if you or your loved one may have a bipolar disorder. By knowing the signs of bipolar, an earlier diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder is more possible.
