bi-polar disorder?

Question

doesnt everyone get depressed sometimes and then really happy other times? how do you differentiate between "normal" and the symptoms of being bi-polar?

Answer 1

the mood swings in bipolar disorder are severe, not just changing from happy to sad, more like going from ecstatic for no reason to being suicidal for no reason. It interferes with the ability to live a normal life. The moods swings happen suddenly and quickly and for no apparent reason. On an upswing you have grandiose thinking.....like going out and convincing yourself that you can afford to buy a 500,000 dollar house when all you make is seven dollars an hour. On a down swing, it is too much to even get out of bed to go to the bathroom. It's all in intensity.

Answer 2

You will be able to tell if someone is bi-polar. Bi-polar disorder runs in my family. There will be strong ups and downs. Large spending even if they don't have the money, large amounts of energy, not much sleep, and ofcourse these are just some of the signs of the highs. The lows they will sleep a lot, act very sad, grumpy, snappy and these are just a few. Sorry such a brief answer but I could go on and on about this subject. Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Everyone has their moods. Sometimes we are happy sometimes we are sad. What differentiates us from those with bi-polar disorder is the degree of happyness or sadness we feel. When a bi-polar person is depressed, it changes their lives. They want to sleep all the time. They lose interest in their lives. Nothing brings joy to their lives. When the switch on to their manic cycle...The feel invincible. They have delusions of grandure. They have incredible energy. They a prone to rash decisions and wild spending sprees. This lasts until they come down and become depressed again. It is a cyclical disease.

Answer 4

tHERE IS NO BLOOD TEST. It is a clinical judgement of the provider that is diagnosing the condition. It is treatable by drugs and they can "cycle" from happy to sad or depressed to jubulent in moments. Some remember what they do others don't . Some are depressed for longer than mad or happy. Others stay awake for days and spend money they dont have bounce checks and run up credit card accounts. They are also sometimes promiscuous and sometimes are extravagant. Very outgoing one day very introverted within moments.

Answer 5

Bi-polar are dramatic mood swings between excessive highs (euphoria), and then severe lows. It is common for people to be depressed at times and better at others-that doesn't signal bipolar disorder.

Answer 6

untreated depression in bipolar disorder last for a period of months and results in you physically being unable to get out of bed. The other side of the coin, mania, has nothing to do with being really happy. Mania is extreme energy and euphoria which results in a feeling of invincibility, a total loss of impulse control, and very reckless behavior. Bipolar is not just being moody, It is extreme and unexplainable prolonged changes in mood.

Answer 7

Like most (all?) mental disorders, they are a matter of degrees. Everybody has "mood swings" but once it reaches a certain threshold, then it becomes a "mental disorder" instead of a "personality trait".

Sometimes, that line is very fine. For example, somebody who likes to keep there hands clean is not necessarily obsessive compulsive, however, once it starts to interfer with their daily life, it becomes a mental health issue.

Answer 8

Bipolar Symptoms are difficult to recognize without looking at your behavior patterns over time. The typical symptoms of bipolar disorder will depend on what type of episode you are going through.
To break it down as simply as possible, bipolar symptoms will show up in one of four types of episodes:


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Depression (may look identical to any typical, "uni-polar" depression)
Mania (extreme elevated mood)
Hypomania (mild to moderate elevated mood)
Mixed (combination of depressive symptoms and increased energy)


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Different people experience different symptoms and patterns of this illness. Some may experience periodic manic or hypomanic episodes, followed by periods of normal moods. Others may crash into mild or severe depression, which may last for weeks or even months before resolving. When a person's bipolar symptoms cycle through four or more episodes within a 12 month period, it is called "rapid cycling." Rapid cycling can vary widely in it's frequency, and for some people can cycle several times within a day ("ultra rapid-cycling") or even one minute to the next ("ultra-ultra rapid cycling").

Answer 9

All the previous and also its not regular happy and sad. It's often a swing from like, euphoria to despair. You can seriously feel like your being bathed in light some minutes/hours/days....and then when the crashes come its awful.

Answer 10

It's a matter of degree. If people notice that your behaviour is extreme, then it could be bipolar disorder, but I wouldn't take that as fact, and would want to see a psychiatrist for a proper diagnosis.