Understanding Bipolar Disorder: Symptoms, Signs & What to Expect

Manic depression is a mental illness that was recently renamed bipolar disorder by the psychiatric community. The disorder is characterized by extreme changes in mood that can take the sufferer from the depths of a serious depression to a manic high that can lead to self-destructive behaviors.

Signs

• The most noticeable sign of manic depression is that a person changes between periods of depression and periods of mania. These periods can last a few days to a few months or longer.

Depression

• The depressive state has all of the hallmarks of depression, including disordered sleep and a disinterest in things that the sufferer previously cared about.

Dangerous Symptoms

• People in the depressed stage of manic depression may have thoughts of suicide or otherwise harming themselves.

Mania

• The manic state is a euphoric time when a manic depressive person feels invincible. He may make rash life decisions such as starting a business or getting married while in this state.

Manic Symptoms

• Other manic symptoms include rapid talking, sleeplessness and recklessness with money.