Signs & Symptoms of Bipolar Disease

Approximately 5.7 million Americans suffer from bipolar disease or disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Sometimes called manic depression, bipolar disorder manifests itself in a number of signs and symptoms that a mental health professional uses to identify the condition.

Significance

• The most noticeable symptoms of bipolar disorder are emotional highs and lows or periods of depression and euphoria.

Time Frame

• The periods of euphoria and depression that characterize bipolar disorder can last for days, weeks or months at a time. It is even possible to go through periods of time where neither euphoria nor depression are present.

Types of Symptoms

• Symptoms of euphoria include extreme optimism, inflated self-esteem, poor judgment, rapid speech, racing thoughts, aggression, agitation, restlessness, spending sprees, increased sex drive, extreme motivation or determination, inability to concentrate and drug abuse. Symptoms of depression include sadness, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts or actions, anxiety, guilt, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, decreased interest in things that were once enjoyable, fatigue, irritability and chronic pain.

Diagnosis

• Doctors often perform routine blood tests and urinalysis to rule out any physical causes of symptoms, and these tests usually show no positive results in bipolar patients. Psychological testing and questionnaires also provide signs to psychiatrists and psychologists that bipolar disorder is the cause of symptoms.

Treatments

• There is no cure but treatment can control this condition. Medications such as mood stabilizers, anti-convulsants, antidepressants, anti-psychotics and anti-anxiety medications are all possible treatments for bipolar disorder. Psychotherapy may also people with bipolar disorder learn to deal with the condition.