Bipolar Symptoms
The Most Common Bipolar Symptoms
There are a number of bipolar symptoms an individual with the disorder can experience. Generally speaking, several of these symptoms normally have to occur before a diagnosis of bipolar disorder can be confirmed. Most of these symptoms, if taken individually, are experienced at one time or another by most of us.
A person with bipolar symptoms used to be referred to as having manic depressive tendencies. The symptoms are indeed categorized as falling into two groups, symptoms of mania, or symptoms of depression. A person with bipolar disorder will experience mood swings, in which the symptoms of mania or depression become evident.
One would think that the author, Edgar Allen Poe, who had the disorder, most likely leaned toward the depressive side, while a person like Art Buchwald may have experienced more of the manic symptoms. Both in fact, had mood swings back and forth, experiencing symptoms in both categories.
When a person is experiencing one of symptoms of mania, it is called having a manic episode, in which a person's mood is said to be elevated. These episodes are not in themselves always seen as being negative, and may include periods of euphoria, increased activity, or good feelings about one's own abilities, which in the extreme, may be unrealistic. Manic episodes can also be characterized by an inability to concentrate, restlessness, poor judgment, and even abnormal irritability. Abuse of drugs or alcohol often has its roots in manic episodes.
Depressive bipolar symptoms are, as one might expect, somewhat the opposite of the above. A person going through a depressive episode may lose interest in things formerly enjoyed, and have feelings of emptiness or sadness. This person will often feel lacking in energy, and may even suffer from real or imagined aches and pains. In extreme cases, the person may dwell on thoughts of death and consider, even attempt, suicide.
Some symptoms, such as irritability, sleeplessness, or an inability to concentrate, are common to either episode. A person who only experiences mild symptoms may deny that anything is wrong. In such an instance, those around that person should consider intervention, before the symptoms become worse.
In extreme cases, an individual can become psychotic, suffering from delusions or having hallucinations. An example of delusion is given in the play and movie "Arsenic and Old Lace", where one of the characters has convinced himself that he is Teddy Roosevelt. Such a person would be suffering from extreme mania. A person suffering from extreme depression might have feelings of worthlessness, or feel guilty about some real or imagined circumstance or happening.
On occasion, a person will experience mixed bipolar symptoms, such as feeling depressed, yet energized at the same time, as opposed to swinging from one mood to another. Whether there are mood swings or mixed symptoms, or mild or extreme symptoms, the disease is very real and, if left untreated, will very likely become worse.