How to Identify Bipolar

Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness that can take its toll on those with the disease, as well as the people who care them. Ultimately, a professional is necessary to diagnose the illness; however, you can begin to identify the symptoms of bipolar disorder if you know what to look for.

Instructions

Understanding the Disorder

• 1

  Bipolar disorder can manifest as one of two things. First, it can manifest as mania. Mania includes rapid speech; reckless behavior such as excessive gambling, shopping, sex, and driving, and a lack of need for sleep and eating. A bipolar person experiencing mania may also experience delusions of grandeur and, in extreme cases, they may hallucinate.

• 2

  The second manifestation of bipolar disorder includes severe depression. A depressed person may take a lack of interest in his social activities and friends. He may have an increased need for sleep. He may also have either an increased or a decreased appetite. In severe cases, he may have a preoccupation with death or suicide.

• 3

  The main symptom of bipolar disorder is that a person swings between the two states of mania and depression. When the person swings between the two states, this is called rapid cycling, Sometimes a person with bipolar disorder will rapid cycle between the two states, and sometimes each state will last for weeks or months.