Familie Kontoret

Posts Tagged ‘Hypomanic Episode’

Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness that can be very debilitating to a person’s normal life. Of course, it can also wreak havoc on the lives of the people around them as well. Unfortunately, there are 5.7 million adults within the United States today who are forced to deal with this debilitating disorder. Herein it is important to take into consideration the fact that misdiagnosis is very uncommon due to the continuum and various forms of this disorder. Therefore, it is quite possible that even more people have gone undiagnosed as well.

Types of Bipolar Disorder

There are essentially three main types of bipolar disorder. These are:

Bipolar I is whenever a person has at least one manic episode with or without any previous episodes of depression.
Bipolar II is whenever a person has had at least one hypomanic episode (similar to mania but not as severe because it won’t disrupt your daily routine) and one episode of depression.
Cyclothymia is a mild type of bipolar disorder that includes mood swings that are not as severe as those that are found within patients who have Bipolar I or Bipolar II disorder.

Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder

There are a lot of different symptoms that a doctor must be on the lookout for whenever dealing with a bipolar patient. This is especially true since bipolar is a rapid cycling disorder that leads to four or more mood swings (alternating between mania and depression) per year. Psychosis (hallucinations and delusions) is oftentimes present in severe cases. Of course, there are also times whenever a person’s life isn’t affected at all.

Some of the symptoms of mania include:

Euphoria Extreme optimism Inflated self-esteem Poor judgment Rapid speech Racing thoughts Aggressive behavior Agitation Increased exercise Risky behavior Spending sprees Increased sexual drive Decreased need for sleep Becoming easily distracted Unable to concentrate Drug abuse

On the other hand, some of the symptoms of mania include:

Sadness Hopelessness Suicidal thoughts/behavior Anxiety Guilt Sleeping problems Appetite problems Fatigue Loss of interest Problems concentrating Irritability Chronic pain with no known cause

Knowing these symptoms is only the start of actually treating bipolar depression so that you will be able to live a more normal life. Many people with this problem have learned to live a normal life and function everyday just like the rest of us. Managing bipolar is possible with the proper support and knowledge from friends and family.