Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes the sufferer to experience mood swings, ranging from elated highs to depressed lows. This disorder is also known as manic depression, and it can affect different people in different ways. Sufferers can experience different levels of severity, and the duration of each type of mood can vary from a few days to a few months. Some people experience a pattern in duration when it comes to mood swings, whereas others find that the mood swings can be very random.

A person suffering from bipolar disorder can find that the mood swings seriously affect their life as well as the lives of their loved ones. Depending on whether the person is in a manic stage or a depressed stage, the thinking and the behaviour of the person can change completely in line with the mood. So, when the person is on a high (manic stage) he or she could be talking incessantly, experiencing ideas of grandeur, spending money like water, and having sex several times a day, even with random partners if necessary. However, during the depressed stage, the person may feel hostile and irritable, feel worthless, become reclusive, and lose interest in everything including sex.

Because the two moods between which the person swings are very different, the symptoms of bipolar disorder vary depending on which type of mood the sufferer is experiencing.

Some of the symptoms of the depressed and the manic periods in bipolar disorder include:

Depressed episode

• Fatigue, mental and physical
• Appetite changes
• Sleep pattern disturbances
• Pessimism
• Anxiety and fear
• Loss of interest in general
• Loss of libido
• Low self esteem
• Hostile and irritable

Manic episode

• Ideas of grandeur
• Sudden need to socialize at all hours
• Sexual obsession
• Demanding and angry
• Making others feel worthless
• Excess energy
• Overspending or wasting money
• Talking loudly and quickly