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Bipolar disorder signs and symptoms

What distinguishes bipolar disorder signs and symptoms from the normal highs and lows we all experience as part of life?

Life naturally has its ups and downs.

Depression is one of the classic bipolar disorder signs and symptoms but the blues do not always indicate bipolar.

A really bad week at work, a death in the family, all sorts of things get thrown at us at every corner.

But, if you are suffering from bipolar you can feel very low and sad without any outside influence.

However depression is only one of the two fundamental dimensions of bipolar.

(The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) provides a clear outline describing signs and symptoms of both depression and mania .)

Depression symptoms

Extended sad periods, or a depressive episode, is what prompts most people to seek help.

You are not likely to go to your doctor because you have just squandered your life savings. But, if you don't tell your doctor about your spending spree, a diagnosis of bipolar disorder cannot be confirmed.

Depression is only half of the equation. A manic episode, where you act totally out of character, is the difference between chronic depression and bipolar disorder.

There are many more bipolar disorder signs and symptoms. Recognizing these signs will help you get the illness under control before it ruins your life. For example, see this Mayo Clinic summary of both bipolar symptoms and bipolar signs (that is, observable behavior) and note how destructive many of the activities listed are.

Bipolar disorder is defined as moods from the opposite ends of the poles. For weeks or months you may feel very low, have zero energy and experience uncontrollable crying bouts. At first, you will probably try to pin down the cause. You might tell yourself you have been overstressed. You might blame your tiredness on not sleeping properly. You could tell yourself that your lack of energy is because you haven't been eating properly. All of this is true, and all of these are bipolar disorder signs and symptoms.

The bipolar symptoms may be feeling down and the bipolar sign may be not washing your hair or shaving.

Then, just as suddenly as it set in all these symptoms are gone. You feel like yourself again. So, you brush away the bad mood. But, a few months later it happens again. People will live with bipolar signs and symptoms for years before they realize these mood swings might have an underlying medical cause.

The difference between a bad mood caused by stress and depression is that depression lasts longer and has no clear instigator. Plus, your feelings of desolation or self-loathing or futility go much deeper than just being in a bad mood.

When you finally read your bipolar symptoms as the tip of a deeper problem and go see a doctor, you will likely delve into details about how bad you have been feeling. You might get treated for depression. This may make your condition worse. The anti-depressants could spark a manic episode.

See this Guide from the University of Maryland for a concise but thorough explanation of symptoms and signs of bipolar.

Manic signs

Risky sexual behavior is one of many bipolar disorder signs and symptoms.

What you thought was a good week or month, could actually have been manic episode. That is the flip side of bipolar or manic-depressive illness.

For some, especially at the beginning, a manic episode will feel like a really good mood. You will have more energy than ever. You might even clean all those nooks and crannies you have been neglecting for so long, or start a passionate affair - regardless of if you are married!

So, what is wrong with that? The condition just escalates and escalates.

Left untreated a manic episode can ruin your life. You feel like you are on top of the world. You don't need that boring job, that stifling marriage, you will feel you are too good for that.

Unrealistic goals and exaggerated self-worth is one of the bipolar disorder signs and symptoms that set this illness apart from other mental illnesses. This is also the part you might not tell your doctor about. People who feel like they are invincible do not go to the doctor.

"Signs" versus "Symptoms"

I believe the signs vs sypmptoms distinction to be very important. Bipolar is a syndrome which consists of both signs and symptoms.

Think about this definition:

"In medicine and psychology, a syndrome is the association of several clinically recognizable features, signs (observed by a physician), symptoms (reported by the patient), phenomena or characteristics that often occur together, so that the presence of one or more features alerts the physician to the possible presence of the others."

It is hard to understand another person's interior state. However, even though folks with bipolar disorder may not recognize their manic symptoms, or even enjoy them, the internal symptoms will manifest in external and observable behavior that can greatly assist diagnosis.

This both bipolar disorder signs and symptoms are critically important to understand and identify.

Learn as much as you can about bipolar as a syndrome and the red flags that signal bipolar behavior.

Light at the end of the tunnel

Learning to monitor bipolar disorder signs and symptoms will help you get well.

The exact cause of bipolar disorder is not understood, but a family history of the illness is a VERY strong indicator.

See the Bipolar Test

The first manic or depressive episodes usually occur in the teenage years or early adulthood.

Bipolar disorder signs and symptoms are sometimes subtle and confusing, so many people with this illness are overlooked or misdiagnosed. This results in unnecessary suffering.

BUT NEVER FORGET - with proper bipolar medication and other treatment and support, you can lead a rich and fulfilling life with long periods of stable moods and effective strategies for cutting short any episodes of mania or depression before they become serious.

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