Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder and Treatment

By Flor Serquina - 2008-01-23 - Viewed 776 times. Find more articles like this in our Depression causes and signs category.

Small - Big

Email article       Print

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that involves rapid change of mood conditions.

As the name implies, "bi" means two or dual and "polar" connotes polarity. By application, this means that a person with symptoms of bipolar disorder tends to abruptly change polarities from extreme happiness down to severe sadness within a short time interval.

Bipolar disorder is a serious problem. If a child has this illness at a young age and is left unattended, drastic symptoms of bipolar disorder may start to emerge at adolescence. Research indicates that the illness will not manifest immediately. It can take several years before signs of manic depression become obvious.

The life of a patient who is suffering from this mental disorder is often disrupted. He doesn't live a normal life. The list below shows the different signs as categorized by both mania or hypomania and depression.

When a bipolar patient experiences his or her highest manic state, any of these symptoms of bipolar disorder can be expected:

The person will have a tendency to be overly optimistic and confident. This is the "nothing-can-stop-me-now" attitude.

There is so much hyperactive energy and because of this, the person becomes restless. Sometimes the patient may seem to look very passionate about certain tasks.

The person may not find the need to sleep. At this manic high state, the body may also prevent the patient from feeling tired.

There is the tendency of the person to feel very important - the delusion of grandeur.

The bipolar patient can be unreasonably annoying and aggressive to other people.

The person tends to make impulsive judgments without rationalization.

The patient becomes overly talkative as if he or she is racing against his or her thoughts.

In severe cases of manic disorder, patients may hallucinate. This in effect can become more difficult to determine the accuracy of a doctor's diagnosis.

The symptoms of the depressive state are the opposite of those for the manic phase:

The patient becomes very pessimistic.

When depression sets in, all the energy is lost.

The bipolar patient may experience erratic sleep schedules and abnormal appetite.

The confidence is lost and excessively low self-esteem takes over.

The patient will tend to self-pity and induce guilt on self.

The patient tends to develop suicidal tendencies.

Many reported teenage suicides have traces of untreated bipolar disorder during childhood. As these mood swings pile up through the years, it eventually manifests. Adolescence is usually the age that symptoms of bipolar disorder take over.

There are many available medications for bipolar treatment. The treatment depends on the severity of the patient's disorder. For children who have tendencies of bipolar disorder, it is best to pay attention to their needs while they're still young. As a parent, the best thing you can do is give them love and attention. Otherwise, these bipolar symptoms can very well become destructive if parents are negligent. Always consult your health care professional if you have any concerns about this condition.

Visit Bipolar-Disorder-Today.com for useful information and resources about symptoms bipolar, anxiety depression bipolar and bipolar support groups.

You can print this article by clicking the printer icon at the top this of page.

Ask, answer questions or add more facts concerning "Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder and Treatment" below.
Your comment will NOT show up right away, it will be sent for approval before it will appear here. Please bookmark this page so you can check back for possible replies and answers to your questions.