Bipolar Disorder: Warning Signs 

 

Are you aware of the warning signs of bipolar disorder? If you don’t know, you should because its mood episodes can lead to physical conditions or even suicidal thoughts. Visit the best Mental Health Clinic in East New York or log on to www.doralhw.org. 

Bipolar Disorder is a neurological disorder that can affect your mental condition by causing extreme mood swings. You can have mood highs (mania or hypomania) or lows (depression). These mood swings affect your sleep patterns, energy, judgment, behavior, and ability to think.  

There is no cure able for this disorder, but you can manage your condition with the help of treatment. Noticing the signs of bipolar disorder is important because if this condition is left untreated it can lead to suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, or physical diseases. 

Mood episodes associated with bipolar disorder  

When people with bipolar disorder experience an intense emotional state that occurs several times in a day or week it is called a mood episode. Mood episodes can last several hours a day from mild to severe changes in behavior at that time.  

 Mood episodes are categorized into 4 types:  

Mania:  

In this mood episode, you can experience creativity, euphoria, and high energy. You become a hyperactive person who tends to take risks because you feel all-powerful, and invincible or start to believe that you’re destined for greatness. At the beginning of this episode, everything feels good but later on, it starts going out of control and you might experience symptoms like aggression and irritability. You will engage in dangerous activities like driving your car or bike recklessly, gambling, substance abuse, or engaging in inappropriate sexual activity. Some people also experience delusional voices or sounds.  

Hypomania: 

This mood episode is similar to mania with less severe symptoms than a mania episode. You can experience extreme changes in emotions, energy levels, or activity levels. Your energetic behavior is more noticeable to others because you behave differently than your usual self. It creates fewer problems as compared to mania episodes.  

Depression: 

This mood episode hits you and makes you feel sad and angry, lose hope, and lose interest in your favorite activity. You can experience this episode several times in a day or week.  

Mixed episode: 

In this episode, you can experience both high and low at the same time. You can develop the symptoms of depression, mania, and hypomania at the same time. You can feel energetic, impulsive, even upset, or tearful or feel agitated or irritable.  

Warning signs of bipolar disorder 

Signs can vary from mild to severe according to the mood episode you are experiencing.  

Signs of Mania and hypomania  

  • Feel happy or high for a long time. 
  • Feel less need for sleep 
  • Talk extremely fast because of having racing thoughts in the mind.  
  • Feel hyperactive or impulsive 
  • Easily distracted  
  • Feel like a VIP. Feel very important. 
  • Feel on top of the world and able to do anything.  
  • Start engaging in dangerous activities like gambling with all life savings, impulsive sexual activities, reckless driving, or substance abuse.  
  • Having a low appetite. 
  • Lose the ability to judge.  
  • Delusions and hallucinations in severe cases.  

Signs of depression 

  • Feel sad and empty 
  • Irritability 
  • Lose interest in the activities you enjoy 
  • Loss of energy 
  • Feel sluggish  
  • Appetite and weight changes 
  • Sleep too much or not at all. 
  • Not able to concentrate or remember anything.  
  • The feeling of guilt or suicidal thoughts.  
  • Start to stay lonely 
  • Start talking slowly in a low pitch.  

Mixed episode signs  

When you have mixed episodes, you can experience symptoms from other mood episodes including mania, hypomania, or depression. Common signs of mixed episodes include – depression combined with agitation, overactivity, irritability, agitation, anxiety, insomnia, distractibility, or racing thoughts. It increases the risk of suicide as a person has high energy or low mood at the same time.  

Warning signs for children and teenagers 

When teens and children get bipolar disorder, it mostly goes undiagnosed and untreated. Because their symptoms do not meet the criteria for bipolar disorder.  

While it is hard, some signs that indicate that a teenager might have bipolar disorder are: 

  • Unexpected periods of anger and aggression 
  • Grandiosity and overconfidence 
  • Easily start to cry and frequently feel sad or down 
  • To feel rested, one needs only little or no sleep 
  • Moody and impulsive behavior 
  • Confusion and inattention 

If you notice these symptoms in your child, then take them to the doctor to confirm.  

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that affects your mood and gives you mood swings. It can have mild or severe episodes throughout the day. It is a lifelong condition. Noticing bipolar disorder symptoms and getting treatment is the only way to prevent it and improve your life.  

Want to know about the tests that diagnose bipolar disorder? 

Doral Health and Wellness has the best Doctors and Psychiatrists that specialize in Behavioral health make accurate diagnoses, and craft tailored treatment programs. Visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212. In order to schedule a consultation with the best Mental health Clinic in East New York, please visit www.doralhw.org .  

Call us to get a free consultation. 

For bipolar disorder treatment, call us at 1-347-384-5690 to schedule a consultation with Behavioral Health specialists who treat mental health problems.