Symptoms And Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder

To be diagnosed with bipolar disorder under the DSM requirements, a person must have a manic episode that lasts at least seven days or has severe symptoms that can possibly send them to a hospital or have sent them to a hospital, and the person usually experiences about two weeks of a depressive episode (NIMH, 2015). People with bipolar disorder can be misdiagnosed. The depressive episodes are very similar to major depression. In some forms of bipolar disorder, psychotic factors are present like hallucinations or delusions which may lead to a misdiagnosis of schizophrenia (Schacter et al., 2015).

“Bipolar disorder, also commonly known as manic depression, is defined as a serious mental illness in which common emotions become intensely and often unpredictably magnified. Individuals with bipolar disorder can quickly alternate from extremes of happiness, energy and clarity to sadness, fatigue and confusion. All people with bipolar disorder have manic episodes abnormally elevated or irritable moods that last at least a week and impair functioning. But not all become depressed ” (American Psychological Association, 2015). Bipolar disorder can vary in each individual. The symptoms fluctuate in pattern, severity and rate of recurrence. Some people are more susceptible to either mania or depression, while others change proportionately between the two types of episodes. Some have frequent mood disruptions, while others live through a few throughout their lifetime.

There are different symptoms and different types of bipolar disorder. The primary symptoms of bipolar disorder are dramatic and unpredictable mood swings. Mania symptoms may include excessive happiness, excitement, restlessness, less need for sleep, and high sex drive. Depression symptoms include sadness, anxiety, loss of energy, uncontrollable crying, need for sleep, and thoughts of death or suicide.

A mild form of bipolar disorder called Cyclothymia involves less severe mood swings. People with this form alternate between hypomania and mild depression.

Bipolar disorder also known as manic depression has always been a mystery since the 16th century. History has shown that it can appear in almost everyone. Bipolar disorder causes mood swings in energy, thinking, and other behavior. Having a bipolar disorder can be very disabling (Kapczinski). A study was evaluated and about 1.3% of the U.S population of people suffers from bipolar disorder. Stressors and environmental influences can trigger and cause a person to go through numerous episodes. Bipolar disorder is characterized according to the severity of the stages. According to Kapczinski, there are four different stages that a person with bipolar disorder can experience. The prognosis of a disorder is different in each particular patient

There are four different types of bipolar disorder. The first is bipolar I. Bipolar I is a severe case of bipolar disorder. Mania can last for a short time, while the depressive stage can last from two weeks or more. The second type is bipolar II. Bipolar II isn’t as severe but it’s a pattern in which there are no full blown mania phases. The third type is bipolar disorder not otherwise specified. This is when you are told you have a bi polar disorder but you don’t show any of the symptoms for bipolar I or II. The last is cyclothymic. Cyclothymic is a very minimum form of bipolar. People with cyclothymia have episodes of hypomania as well as mild depression for at least 2 years (Bipolar Disorder in Adults. (2012, January 1)). This form

In another type of bipolar disorder (Bipolar II), a person experiences major depression and hypomanic episodes, or episodes of milder mania. In a related disorder called cyclothymic disorder (sometimes called Bipolar III), a person's mood alternates between mild depression and mild mania. Some people with cyclothymic disorder later develop full-blown bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder may also follow a seasonal pattern (Seasonal Affective Disorder), with a person typically experiencing depression in the fall and winter and mania in the

Mental health authorities estimate that more than 2 million adults have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder (also called manic-depression), a chemical imbalance in the brain causing extreme mood swings from manic highs to agonizing lows. Although a diagnosis of bipolar disorder can be frightening and confusing, it is a treatable and manageable condition.

This kind of bipolar disorder is deferent from the others in the sense that it lasts for longer durations of time. This strain of the condition lasts anywhere from one year in adolescents to two years in and longer in adults. Also, this type varies because it is not categorized as having the symptoms of hypomanic and depressible episodes. The fourth type of bipolarity is irregular, for it is any type of bipolar disorder that does not fall into the categorizes previously described (The National, 2016). Despite the varying types of bipolarity, they are all similar very in their symptoms and in the fact that all disrupt people from living a normal, average life style.

The four main types of this disorder is: Bipolar I Disorder, Bipolar II Disorder, Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, and Cyclothymic Disorder. Bipolar I Disorder is basically just a short term episode, but can be very severe. Bipolar II Disorder is series of episodes but usually not full-out or severe. Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified is when you have the symptoms but not quite severe enough to meet the guidelines to be diagnosed with the first two disorders. Cyclothymic Disorder is a very benign for of this disorder. It can last up to two years, but the symptoms do not meet the criteria for the first two named disorders. There is a more severe form of this disorder called Rapid-cycling Bipolar Disorder. This is when a person has more than four incidents in a year and they are very severe. If left diagnosed, this disorder can continue to grow

The National Institute of Mental Health describes bipolar I disorder as the occurrence of manic episodes that can last up to seven days, or experiencing a state of mania so severe that one must be hospitalized. With manic episodes, it is common to experience depressive symptoms as well, which can last two weeks or more. The NIMH defines bipolar II disorder as a pattern of depressive episodes with the addition of hypomanic episodes, which are not as intense and distressing as the manic episodes in bipolar I disorder. During a manic episode one might be experiencing feelings of having a lot of energy, feeling jumpy or wired, talking fast about a variety of topics, racing thoughts, and wanting to do risky things. During an episode of depression,

Bipolar disorder, or manic depressive disorder, is a disorder characterized by extreme mood changes. People with this disorder undergo unusual shifts in his or her mood, activity levels, energy and the ability to carry out daily activities (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.). A person can go from being very outgoing and energetic to feeling irritated and worthless over a period of a few days, months, or even years. People with bipolar disorder experience “mood episodes”, represented by a drastic change in a person’s unusual mood or behavior (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.). A manic episode he or she may experience is overexcited and overly joyful; however, someone in a

Bipolar II however, is very similar to Bipolar I except the person affected will have mood changes that will cycle between highs and lows over a period of time. The persons’ affected will never reach a full mania during one of their “up” moods. Another form of bipolar disorder is called Rapid Cycling. A person who has Rapid Cycling will experience four or more episodes of mania in a single year. Only about 10% to 20% of persons’ diagnosed with a bipolar disorder will be diagnosed with Rapid Cycling. Mixed Bipolar disorder would consist of somebody that will experience mania and depression simultaneously or in a rapid sequence. Cyclothymia is the mildest form of bipolar mood disorder. Symptoms of Cyclothymia must last for at least two years. Also, the person cannot have gone two months at a normal state.