Bipolar disorder can be a grave mental illness that can cause an adverse effect on someone’s life. Below are 13 indicators of the disease to look for.
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As per the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive disorder, refers to a mental disorder that can cause extreme and sudden changes in energy, mood, and levels of activity, that range from low-lows to high-highs. This type of mental disorder can cause a person to be unable for a person to complete daily activities.
Although bipolar disorder isn’t widespread, according to NIMH it is only a tiny fraction of people suffering from the disorder in the last year. The figure is that 4.4 percent of those who suffer from it have the disorder at some point throughout their lives. The majority of instances are classified as “severe.”
If not treated the condition of bipolar disorder can worsen and can have negative effects on a person’s life. An accurate diagnosis and treatment could aid people suffering from bipolar disorder to live healthy and active lives.
Here are 13 signs of bipolar disorder.
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Great Mood
Bipolar disorder is marked by alternating episodes of depression and mania. In a manic state, certain patients may experience an utter disconnect from reality. experiencing a feeling of being “up,” elated, frustrated, or exuberant. In the depressive stage, you may experience feelings of being extremely “down,” sad, disinterested, or even hopeless.
Hypomania is a milder type of manic. According to the NIMH, people can feel extremely well and be able to maintain a normal life even during a hypomanic attack. They may not be aware of anything not right, but relatives and acquaintances may notice fluctuations in moods or levels of activity as a sign of bipolar disorder.
“Hypomania can be a pretty enjoyable state, really,” Carrie Bearden Ph.D., a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA explained to the Health. The mood of a person may be upbeat as they can experience an abundance of energy and energy and may even experience feelings of euphoria. That’s what’s known as what is known as the “up” side of bipolar disorder that some people suffering from the disorder actually appreciate, while it persists.
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Inability To Complete Tasks
A home cluttered with incomplete projects is one of the hallmarks of bipolar disorders. People who are able to make use of their energy while in a hypomanic state are able to be extremely productive.
The ones who struggle to get between tasks, and who are unable to plan big and unrealistic projects that never get completed before moving on to another thing.
“They can be quite distractible and may start a million things and never finish them,” said Don Malone, MD the President of Ohio Hospitals and Family Health Centers at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
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Complicated Sex Lives
Bipolar disorders can cause a devastating impact on a person’s sexual life. “Because people who suffer from bipolar disorder live in what I call expensive emotional states, they typically have expansive and complicated sex and relational lives,” said Paul Hokemeyer, Ph.D. psychotherapist and creator of Fragile Power.
This can include engaging in various sexual expressions, such as the concept of sexual transgression (a concept that encompasses bisexuality) or S&M. Hokemeyer also pointed out that those suffering from bipolar disorder might be prone to going to the other extreme and avoid sexual contact completely.
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Depression
Someone who is suffering from bipolar depression will look exactly like someone with normal depression. “They have the same problems with energy, appetite, sleep, and focus as others who have ‘plain old depression,'” explained Malone. Malone.
Unfortunately, standard antidepressants by themselves aren’t effective for patients with bipolar. They can cause patients to go through cycles more frequently, which can worsen their symptoms, or put individuals into a breakdown-with-reality episode.
“Antidepressants can be downright dangerous in people with bipolar because they can send them into mania,” said Dr. Malone.
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Irritability
There are times when people experience depressive and manic symptoms during the same time– a condition is known as “mixed mania,” says the NIMH. In this state, people can be very angry. They may also feel depressed, despairing, sad, empty, and extremely energetic simultaneously.
“We are all irritable or moody sometimes,” explained” Dr. Bearden. “But in people with bipolar disorder, it often becomes so severe that it interferes with their relationships–especially if the person is saying, ‘I don’t know why I’m so irritable…I can’t control it.'”
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Rapid Speech
Certain individuals are naturally talkative. However, they may have “pressured speech,” one of the most frequent signs associated with bipolar disorder. Based on the National Library of Library Pressured speech refers to the rapid and continuous speech production that is hard to stop. In reverse, speech becomes soft and slow in depression.
This type of speech happens when people are not engaged in a conversation, according to Dr. Bearden. The person is likely to talk quickly and, if you attempt to talk, they’ll most likely talk to you.
They also may shift subjects. “What’s kind of a red flag is when it is atypical for the person to talk like this,” being able to do it only when they’re in an emotional state, however not all the time as stated by Doctor. Bearden.
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Loss of Time
A lot of people suffering from bipolar disorder notice that the disorder seriously affects their understanding of time explained Hokemeyer. “Deadlines in appointments become ethereal, as does the ability to stick to a schedule,” Hokemeyer explained.
The end result is that this may affect their relationships with other people as well as their professional lives as well as their capacity to be a parent. “For people who suffer from the polar disorder, time and its passage is an elusive construct,” Hokemeyer said. Hokemeyer.
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Trouble at Work
The people who suffer from this disorder typically struggle at work because many of their issues can hinder their ability to be at work, complete their tasks and be productive with colleagues. According to a study published in 2018 published in The Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research 81 percent of those who have mood disorders faced bullying in the workplace. Bipolar disorder sufferers who are employed have shared their experiences of having difficulty dealing with other people as well as social isolation from working relationships, as well as encounters with stigma were common encounters in the workplace.
As well as having difficulty in completing their tasks, they could suffer from insomnia, anxiety, and an elevated personality during manic phases or depression in other instances that cause excessive sleep and mood issues.
The majority of workplace problems are interpersonal, according to Malone. Malone.
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Alcohol or Drug Abuse
Around 50% of those who suffer from bipolar disorder also suffer from problems with substance abuse and alcohol abuse according to doctors. Bearden.
A lot of people drink during an emotional state to calm their own down. They also take alcohol to improve their mood when depressed.
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Erratic Behavior
If they are experiencing a manic state those with bipolar disorder might experience over-inflated self-esteem.
“They feel grandiose and don’t consider consequences; everything sounds good to them,” said Dr. Malone.
The two most typical kinds of behavior that result from this are excessive spending and sexually bizarre behavior. “I have had a number of patients who have had affairs who never would have done that if they weren’t in a manic episode…during this episode they exhibited behavior that is not consistent with what they would do normally,” explained the doctor. Malone.
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Grandiosity
Although everyone should dream large and aim for the stars, those with bipolar disorder are prone to an excessive sense of grandeur. This may hinder them from pursuing tangible achievements as per Hokemeyer. “So a person who enjoys acting will only take the stage if they get the best part in the most esteemed theater company,” Hokemeyer explained. Hokemeyer.
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Sleep Problems
Patients with this disorder often suffer from sleep issues. In a depressive phase, it is possible that they sleep too frequently and be tired throughout the day according to the NIMH.
In a manic state, the person may not get enough sleep, but they will never feel exhausted.
Even with only an hour of sleep every night, they can feel good and have plenty of energy.
Doctor. Bearden said staying on an established sleep schedule was one of the first things she suggested for patients with bipolar disorder.
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Flight of Ideas
The symptom could be something that is difficult to identify and is often seen when one is experiencing a manic mood. It is a feeling that the thoughts are racing and they’re unable to slow down their thinking.
This kind of flight of thought often happens when speech is pressured.
Bipolar patients might not be able to recognize or acknowledge that their minds are racing as stated by the psychiatrist Dr. Bearden.
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