Two Separate and Opposite States Comprise Bipolar Disorder Symptoms

Mania
Bipolar disorder symptoms during the manic phase can make you appear to be positive, excited about life, even euphoric. You're feeling great about yourself, so great as a matter of fact, your self esteem has never been higher. You feel like you can accomplish anything your heart desires. You may seem conspicuously active and brimming with all kinds of ideas, bouncing from one idea to the other in your head.

You may begin many projects, get them started with great enthusiasm, then launch many other quests as well. Your friends may be aware that something is amiss: after all, you're in the midst of a manic phase and your are acting a bit out of the ordinary.

Depression
But the hazards of the opposite pole - depression, would probably be the furthest thing from a lay observer's mind. Once this manic stage wanes, and the depression stage emerges, the bipolar disorder symptoms display themselves like a Jekyll-Hyde nature. It becomes apparent then the reason for different list of bipolar disorder symptoms for each stage.

Rapid Cycling
Rapid cycling is switching from one state or pole to the other, from mania to depression and back again. Characteristics of cycling vary from person to person. In some, the cycles last for long periods and switch infrequently. Others switch from depression to mania and back relatively often.

This quick switching from one emotional state to another is known as rapid cycling. A one -to-one ratio (period of depression to one period of mania) rarely occurs; usually, one cycle is more prevalent than the other. In general, men tend to experience manic periods more often than episodes of depression, and women have more depressions than manic episodes.

This is only a general statement. For me, I experienced more manic stages than depression episodes. Long periods during which the bipolar sufferer feels neither manic nor depressed can exist between cycles. During these times, the person seems and feels alright.

DSM-V Criteria
The DSM- IV-R presents several criteria that must be met before the condition is considered mania.

First, if your are in the manic stage your mood must be elevated, expansive or irritable. This mood must be different from a your normal personality. The change is unusually intense, and must last a considerable period of time. While exhibiting this elevated mood often characterized by grandiose ideas (like "I can jump off the Empire State Building and fly"). In some cases of mania the mood that is expressed may be irritated and angry. Bipolar disorder symptoms can include arrogance and belligerence.

The second criterion states that at least three of the following bipolar disorder symptoms must have been present to a significant degree:

1. Inflated sense of self-importance
2. Decreased need for sleep (for example you feel rested only after three or four hours of sleep)
3. Unusual talkativeness or talking rapidly
4. Flight of ideas (in other words your mind is racing and you can't shut it off)
5. Easily distracted (you are easily drawn to unimportant external stimuli)
6. Increase in a goal-oriented activity (for instance goals set to join more social activities)
7. Increase in sexual activity (you feel you just can't get enough satisfaction),
8. Excessive involvement in activities that bring pleasure but have a high potential for painful or harmful consequences (for example: you engage in unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or unwise business investments. At this stage you are an easy target for get rich schemes.

These criteria help differentiate mania from other excitable states. When you are in the midst of mania, you will almost always have an overconfident and exaggerated opinion of yourself and your abilities. You will find yourself talking too loudly, too often, and too rapidly. Your thought processes are accelerated; many of your thoughts occur almost simultaneously and are verbalized about as quickly.

This rapid train of thought is easily derailed. You find it difficult to follow a single subject for very long. Activity can increase both in terms of multiple projects and physical activity, such as fidgeting, pacing, or exaggerated sexual behavior.

Finally, while under the manic phase most manics including yourself, pursue their goals with great abandon and almost total disregard for consequences.

The third criterion articulated in the DSM-IV-R states that a mood disturbance must be severe enough to affect an individual's job performance, participation in regular social activities or relationships with others; or to necessitate hospitalization in order to prevent injury to self or others. This criterion is designed to distinguish full mania, which is potentially very harmful, from hypo mania (or "lesser" mania"), which does not necessarily have life and death consequences.

Like fever, depression and other mood disorders are the final outcome of a range of causes. There are many ways you can contract a fever, such as through bacterial infections, dehydration, and excessive exposure to the sun. There are likewise many ways in which you can become clinically depressed.

Two Main Categories of Mood Disorders

It's useful to divide these mood disorder pathways into two main categories.

Psychological
The first category of causes contains those that are psychological in nature. Stress is the key factor in psychologically induced depression, particularly stress that results form some sort of trauma or loss.

Biological
The second group of causes are those that arise from a biological source.

These physical illnesses, hormonal malfunctions, and genetic factors are all capable of generating the symptoms of major depression by themselves or in tandem with a psychological cause. Mood disorders often arise from a combination of causes that are both biological and psychological in nature.

When we talk about depression and the anxiety disorders, we generally say that drugs aren't always needed. Sometimes, no treatment is best, sometimes psychotherapy, sometimes drugs alone, and sometimes a combination of drugs and psychotherapy is needed. However, when we talk about the bipolar disorder symptoms, there is no debate: psychiatrists agree the patient should get help and begin some sort of therapy right away.

The person with bipolar affective disorder is sometimes referred to as being "manic depressive" or having "mood swings." What this basically means is the bipolar patient has bipolar disorder symptoms that show up as depression, at other times he experiences high or manic symptoms, and at other times he's perfectly normal. Each patient has his or her own natural cycle of these three states.

Bipolar patients experience some of the most severe depressions seen in psychiatry. Typically, bipolar disorder symptoms are characterized by extreme loss of energy and the ability to concentrate, complete inability to enjoy anything, and many may have suicidal ideas. Untreated bipolar patients frequently commit suicide. So indeed bipolar affective disorder is a very serious condition that needs attention asap.

The importance of careful and accurate diagnosis cannot be stressed enough if you are taking the AMA route.

Sometimes the diagnosis of bipolar disorder is so easy anyone can make the diagnosis. A patient who is talking a mile a minute, believes that she and God are best friends AND just ran up her credit card bill over $10,000 on an annual salary of $30,000 is probably a manic depressive in the manic stage.

The same patient may show up two months later deeply depressed, insisting she is the cause of the world hunger and deserves to die; she has "flipped" in to the depressed phase of the illness. Other times, however, the diagnosis is more difficult.

I'll be talking a bit later about drugs verses alternative therapies, diagnosing depression and bipolar disorder, psychological causes of depression, biological causes of depression, the mind and body connection, and how to rid yourself of bipolar disorder symptoms.

But for now don't feel like you have to master everything. There's lots of technical information presented here. It is here to simply give you an overview of what to expect when we get to the practical strategies for coping with bipolar disorder symptoms.

Of course, the more knowledge you have about the medical components of mood swings, the greater your ability will be to fully participate as part of your own medical care team. Get a fast start on your knowledge now. Check out the books below.

Then I encourage you to take control of your own journey toward optimal WELLNESS just like I did. You can read more about it here.

Return to top of page.

Bon Voyage,
Dr. Cares™

Catherine Sinclair, PhD. uses the trade name Dr. Cares™. She is a licensed pastoral counselor. The information contained in this website is not to be taken as a substitute for professional advice from your qualified medical "practitioner." The author of this website is not an M.D. and does not purport to prescribe or diagnose any mental or health condition.

The author of this website is not an M.D. and therefore must post this required FDA disclaimer. None of the statements, self testing, nor recommended alternatives to overcoming bipolar symptoms have been evaluated by the FDA. Therefore, the tested and proven experiences, testimonies, supplements and alternative and natural therapies are for informational purposes only and does not purport to prescribe, diagnose or cure any mental or physical condition.

Though as a licensed counselor she does advise her clients to be informed and involved in the recovery of their physical, spiritual and mental health. The above information has transformed many lives and the same can happen for you, but you alone are responsible for the decisions you make concerning all aspects of your health.

Bipolar Disorder Symptoms to No More Bipolar Disorder