Bipolar Disorder
Blue Flower Psychology
What is Bipolar Disorder?
It’s perfectly normal to experience shifts in your mood. Everyone has both good weeks and bad weeks, and it’s human for your emotions to shift with your life situation. Bipolar Disorder is experiencing these shifts in your mood, but much more intensely. It’s commonly understood as the experience of swinging from a severely low (depressed) mood, to a significantly high mood (mania, euphoria).
A really common misconception of Bipolar is that someone will swing between these emotions really quickly. These moods can actually vary from a few hours to lasting weeks, or even months at a time. Bipolar Disorder worsens without treatment, and unfortunately, a lot of people experiencing this mental illness may not recognise it in themselves.
Signs & Symptoms
Bipolar Disorder can be difficult to recognise and diagnose, because the symptoms and signs vary greatly, particularly depending on the person’s state. The two different states of Bipolar Disorder can be classified as ‘Depression’ and ‘Mania’. There are two different kinds of Bipolar Disorder too: Bipolar I Disorder and Bipolar II Disorder.
Bipolar Disorder includes depressed episodes and highly manic episodes. There are different forms of bipolar and some persons may also have “mixed” episodes.
Bipolar Disorder Depression Symptoms
- Feelings of sadness and hopelessness
- No desire to see friends or family
- Loss of interest in hobbies or activities
- Significant changes in appetite
- Suicidal thoughts or attempts
- Fogginess: in memory, concentration, decision making
- Severe fatigue and physical exhaustion
Bipolar Disorder Mania Symptoms
- Happiness or a ‘high’ feeling
- Risky behaviour: drugs or excessive gambling
- A decreased need for sleep
- Talking fast, with racing thoughts
- Extreme restlessness
- Easily distracted, difficulty concentrating
- Overconfidence in one’s abilities
How We Can Help
If you think you might have Bipolar Disorder, it’s best to seek help as soon as you can, as symptoms tend to worsen over time. The sooner intervention occurs the better the outcome. There are many different treatments for Bipolar Disorder, because people will experience the disorder differently and they’ll react to medication differently. Medication is typically necessary to treat Bipolar Disorder and will involve the use of a mood stabiliser and sometimes, an antidepressant.
People struggling with Bipolar Disorder will also benefit from therapy. We’ll work with you to manage your moods and episodes better, learn effective coping strategies, and, in some instances we may provide support to your family as well.
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