Bipolar.

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar is a mental illness characterized by drastic changes in an individual’s mood, energy levels, and cognitive abilities. These shifts are referred to manic and depressive episodes, or distinctly high and low moods. Based on the types of mood shifts and patterns these shifts, bipolar can be broken down into 4 more specific diagnoses:

Symptoms

Manic Episode: Understanding the Signs and Symptoms

A manic episode is a distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood, lasting at least one week and present most of the day, 2 nearly every day. This period is accompanied by a significant increase in energy and activity, along with at least three of the following behavioral changes:

• Decreased need for sleep: Feeling energetic despite significantly less sleep than usual.
• Pressured speech: Increased or faster speech, often difficult to interrupt.
• Racing thoughts: Experiencing a flight of ideas or the subjective experience that thoughts are racing.
• Distractibility: Easily diverted attention, difficulty concentrating.
• Increased activity: Restlessness, agitation, or engaging in multiple projects simultaneously.
• Impulsivity: Increased engagement in risky or impulsive behaviors, such as reckless driving, spending sprees, or sexual indiscretions.

These behavioral changes represent a clear and noticeable shift from the person’s typical behavior, observable by those around them. The symptoms are significant enough to cause substantial difficulties in social interactions, work performance, or other key areas of life.

Hospitalization is often necessary to ensure the individual’s safety and prevent potential harm to themselves or others. Furthermore, some individuals experiencing a manic episode may also exhibit psychotic symptoms such as disorganized thinking, delusions (false beliefs), or hallucinations.

Hypomanic Episode

A hypomanic episode is a distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and abnormally and persistently increased activity or energy, lasting at least four consecutive days. While similar to a manic episode, the symptoms of hypomania are less severe and do not cause significant impairment in social or occupational functioning.

Major Depressive Episode

A major depressive episode is characterized by a period of at least two weeks during which an individual experiences a persistent sad, empty, or irritable mood, accompanied by a loss of interest or pleasure in previously enjoyed activities. This core symptom must be present for most of the day, nearly every day.

In addition, at least four of the following symptoms must also be present:

• Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional).
• Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.
• Insomnia or hypersomnia (increased sleep) nearly every day.
• Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain or decrease or increase in appetite nearly daily.
• Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down).
• Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day.
• Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of death), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide. 

Related Conditions

• Anxiety
• Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Substance abuse disorders/dual diagnosis

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