What are the signs of being bi-polar?

Question

I'm asking a serious queston for a friend of mine, she's constantly having violent mood swings,and she goes totally manic for stretches that last for days. When she's happy she isn't happy at all, she's just really hyper... Its really disturbing. She refuses to believe that she may need treatment and believes she can handle it on her own. For the last few months she has refused to go back to her apartment, although she pays the bills, but she doesn't seem to have a sense of reality sometimes, she's in her own world at times, and whenever she talks to others she sounds really far away, unless she's excited about something then she won't shut up. She is preoccupied with destroying herself and has started using her fingernails dug into her palms to calm herself. I talked to her family about it but they think she is fine, that nothing is wrong at all, her mother gets really mad, but she's also a problem, she tells my friend that there's nothing wrong with her and to snap out of it.

She's with her mother, and if she gets any lower she will more than likely kill herself, she's attempted suicide for years now, she has a stash of perscription pills she's been saving for years locked up somewhere. These weren't feeble cry for help attempts, she's actually almost succeeded a couple of times. Once when she attempted to jump from a bridge and some guy pulled her down off of the railing, another when she tried to carbon monoxide her entire apartment... She gives no warnings, nothing, she just does the weirdest things. She always wants to run away, she's always talking about it.. she wants to get out of her head, I think.. She gets really depressed too, like for days she refuses to do anything for herself unless she has to go to work, she forgets to eat, she wants to quit her job, dropped out of college....

She shops uncontrollably, always at the mall, is in debt with her bank for overspending....and engages in extremely dangerous behavior, one of which was excessive drinking, last year two days wouldn't go by that she wasn't drunk.
She tells me she's screaming inside, it deafens all of the things she is thinking...
She's always in mental anguish, she says feelings are like a dull pain, but some are more acute than others. And sometimes she acts as if she doesn't notice me...Seriously, it scares me. I guess she has always been like this, when we were younger it was like she was just a weird kid, but now she's kind of creepy. She refuses to grow up, not economically, but in other areas, its like talking to a teenager sometimes, but then she is so intelligent, and wise, like she can be totally different...

Answer 1

Based on your description it sounds as though your friend may have Bi-Polar Disorder. Ideally, she could seek medical/mental health help.

For medication evaluation, I would recommend a psychiatirst or psychiatric nurse practioner. An M.D. can also evaluate, but I would make sure the M.D. feels comfortable in this area. A good many prefer to refer to a specialist and often, we can only convince the client to go in to see one professional.
It is amazing how meds can help folks function so much better. I emphasis to my clients that if they try meds, they may not have to put out so much effort to maintain. I stress that they are likely putting much more effort into maintaining than anyone gives them credit for. They almost always agree.

You can check out this website for more information:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bipolar.cfm

In my area, there is an agency called Emergency Mental Health that is available 24/7. They usually respond first by phone and then come to the person's home if necessary. Hopefully every area has a great agency like this one.

Answer 2

some BI-POLAR signs and indicators are extreme temper modifications, from way as much as thank you to for no reason. likes to close self off from the international. i'm unsure this ex boyfriend is or no longer BI-POLAR, yet he does have some genuine subjects that he needs expert help with. he's amazingly at a loss for words and desires help in getting his existence prioritized by utilising a expert. there is not any longer something you're able to do to help him, until eventually he might pay attention to you approximately getting help. psychological ailment would not care how sturdy a kinfolk you come from. He can also have a.D.D. you do no longer need to be taken care of the techniques he has, and that i'm specific on a sturdy day he would not. they're basically too few to make up for the off days all of us adventure.

Answer 3

Mania can manifest itself in many different disorders. She may have bipolar, or, depending on the age, a more severe psychotic disorder like Schizophrenia.

Mania is classified as elevated mood, does she have delusions of granduer? Buy things she can't afford? Does she hear voices? All would be signs of pyschosis that need to be treated right away. To me, it sounds as though she is having a severely distorted process going on, and need IMMEDIATE medical attention. If caught early on, there are good chances there will be no relapse.

She sounds, if it is Bipolar, as though she is going through a rapid cycling process, which means there is a high risk of suicide, please keep an eye on her.

Answer 4

There is definitely a huge problem with your friend, Bi-Polar perhaps but she needs professional help somehow and somewhere. My concern is you, this is causing you a whole lot of stress, I hope you take care of yourself and don't get dragged down by the worry of others.

Answer 5

The mood swings, hyperness and digging into her palms sounds like bi-polar to me. There are all different levels of being bi-polar. I have it but usually instead of mania I have deep bouts of depression. My mania is usually insomnia and fast talking. Poor choices, sexualy permiscous, debt and poor spending, poor care of self, poor relationships, all are symptoms along with feelings of helplessness, no hope, ect. If she is living with you, you need to push her out. She needs to hit rock bottom and she needs to figure out she has a problem. You cannot save her and if she won't help herself, and you bail her out you are enabling her to stay just the way she is. Distance yourself, express your love and concern but tell her you can't watch her destroy her life, herself, ect. Good luck and God bless.

Answer 6

every thing that you said your friend is doing is definitely a sign of being bi-polar and if her parents can not see that their daughter has a serious condition then i suggest that you find away to get her the help that she really and truly needs because if not she may really cause herself some serious pain .

Answer 7

sounds like she needs to get tested, i know a few people who have bipolar and they act almost the same way

Answer 8

remember that hot teacher who got knocked up by the 13yr old boy?she claims she was bi-polar.i wish i had teachers like that.

Answer 9

she sounds bipolar to me.