what are the "symptoms" of a manic depressive?

Answer 1

Cyclical episodes of major depression and mania (i.e., "mood swings") represent the hallmark symptom of bipolar disorder (i.e., "manic depression"). It is treatable with mood stabilizing medications (e.g., depakote, lamictal, lithium).

Answer 2

First of all, Manic Depression was the former name for what is now termed Bi-Polar Disorder. There is not, necessarily, a major mood swing in an individual with this diagnosis. You can be severely depressed, with dulled responses, long sleep patterns, lack of appetite.....and then go through long periods of sleeplessness, anxiety, anger. No one on this site can diagnose you. If you are concerned about your mental health, please seek help from a doctor, therapist, social worker, etc. There are great medications these days to keep this disease under control.

Answer 3

Go to Google and type in Bi-polar diagnosis. You will find self diagnostic tests that you use to find out if you are or not. This is the same as manic depression.

Answer 4

A friend of mine has bipolar disorder. He talks nonstop for hours and hours, telling tall tales of adventure and about how important he is. Then he gets real mad at the whole world, jumping up and down screaming obcenities. He doesn't sleep for about a week, then collapsing from exhaustion. When he wakes up, he's ashamed of the things he said and did while having his bipolar episode. Then he gets super depressed for weeks.

Answer 5

Mood swings from feeling really happy and energetic to sad or angry for no reason, lashing out at authority or people close to you. Puberty usually brings on the symptoms if someone is going to develop it. Bi polar disorder is a type of manic depression that usually affects females.

Answer 6

when the person is in the maniac state, the following symptos are:

euphoria - distraction - exaltation - excessive spending of money - irritability, impatience, short-fuse, accelerated thinking (as though high on drugs), increase in energy and disposition, exaggerated optimism, higher self-esteem, lack of critical sense

In cases most seve, the following can happen:

abuse of alcohol or drugs, delirium & hallucinations, exaggerated inhibition, improper behaviour, sucidial ideas/tendencies

Symptoms which generally occur during the depressive phases:

feeling of fear, dread, insecurity, despair and void; social and familiar isolation, apathy, lack of motivation, lack of willing to do something, mental tiredness, difficulty in concentrating on something, increase in sleep, appetite alteration, pessimism, ideas of guilt, low self-esteem, in some, reduction of libido

In most severe cases, the following can happen:

pains and physical problems, such as headaches *strong ones), gastrointestinal symptoms/disorders, aches in the body (for apparently no reason) and pressure on the chest; suicidal tendencies/ideas.

Nowadays, the doctors prefer to refer to this mental disorder as bipolar disorder instead of the old maniac-depressive disorder.

Answer 7

It's just called bi-polar now. Look it up. It's not quick changing moods like the popular TV mind would have you believe.

Answer 8

I have manic depresion. It is kind of like bi polar, you might be in a really good mood, and then suddenly get really pissed of over nothjing

Answer 9

Bipolar Disorders (also known as manic depression), are characterized by alternating episodes of mania or hypomania, and depression.

Bipolar disorder is often not recognized by the patient, relatives, friends, or even physicians. In its early stages, bipolar disorder may masquerade as a problem other than mental illness. For example, it may first appear as alcohol or drug abuse, or poor school or work performance.

If left untreated, bipolar disorder tends to worsen, and the person experiences episodes of full-fledged mania and clinical depression.

An early sign of manic-depressive illness may be hypomania--a state in which the person shows a high level of energy, excessive moodiness or irritability, and impulsive or reckless behavior. Hypomania may feel good to the person who experiences it. Thus, even when family and friends learn to recognize the mood swings, the individual often will deny that anything is wrong.

Mood Episode Types

To help you sort out the symptoms of Bipolar disorder it is important to understand that there are four types of mood episodes that a person can experience as part of Bipolar Disorder. These mood episodes include major depressive episode, manic episode, mixed episode, and hypomanic episode.

Major Depressive Episode

A major depressive episode is not a disorder in itself, but is a part of another disorder, most often major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder. A major depressive episode includes the following symptoms:

Either a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities consistently for at least a 2 week period. This mood must represent a change from the person's normal mood; social, occupational, educational or other important functioning must also be negatively impaired by the change in mood.

A major depressive episode is also characterized by the presence of a majority of these symptoms:

depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). (In children and adolescents, this may be characterized as an irritable mood.)
markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day
significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.
insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day
psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day
fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day
diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day
recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.

Manic Episode

A manic episode is not a disorder in and of itself, but instead is a part of other disorders, most usually bipolar disorder.

A manic episode is defined by the following symptoms:

A period of an elevated, expansive or notably irritable mood, lasting for at least one week. This disorder must be sufficiently severe to cause difficulty or impairment in occupational, social, educational or other important functioning and can not be better explained by a mixed episode. Symptoms also can not be the result of substance use or abuse (alcohol, drugs, medications) or caused by a general medical condition.

A majority of the following symptoms are also present:

inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
decreased need for sleep (e.g., feels rested after only 3 hours of sleep)
more talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking
flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing
attention is easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant items
increase in goal-directed activity (either socially, at work or school, or sexually) or psychomotor agitation
excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (e.g., engaging in unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or foolish business investments)
Mixed Episode

A mixed episode is not a disorder, but rather a part of a mental disorder, most commonly bipolar disorder.

A mixed episode consists of meeting the criteria for both a manic episode as well as a major depressive episode nearly every day for at least a full week.

Like all mental disorders, the disturbance must be severe enough to cause distress or impairment in social, occupational, education or other important functioning and is not better accounted for by the physiological effects of substance use or abuse (alcohol, drugs, medications) or a general medical condition.

Hypomanic Episode

A hypomanic episode is defined by the following:

A distinct period of persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood, lasting throughout at least 4 days, that is clearly different from the usual non-depressed mood.

During the period of mood disturbance, three (or more) of the following symptoms have persisted (four if the mood is only irritable) and have been present to a significant degree:

inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
decreased need for sleep (e.g., feels rested after only 3 hours of sleep)
more talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking
flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing
distractibility (i.e., attention too easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant external stimuli)
increase in goal-directed activity (either socially, at work or school, or sexually) or psychomotor agitation
excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (e.g., the person engages in unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or foolish business investments)
The episode is associated with an unequivocal change in functioning that is uncharacteristic of the person when not symptomatic.

The disturbance in mood and the change in functioning are observable by others.

The episode is not severe enough to cause marked impairment in social or occupational functioning, or to necessitate hospitalization, and there are no psychotic features.

The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication, or other treatment) or a general medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism).

The Diagnoses:

So much for the types of mood episodes that can happen. Now - on to the diagnosis of the Bipolar Disorders. Bipolar diagnoses are made by noting particular combinations of mood episodes, both as present at the time of diagnosis, and based on historial considerations.

Bipolar I Disorder

Bipolar I Disorder actually is a number of separate diagnoses, depending upon the type of mood most recently experienced. Specific symptoms of various types of this disorder follow.



Bipolar I Disorder, Single Manic Episode


Presence of only one (present) Manic Episode and no past Major Depressive Episodes.
Note: Recurrence is defined as either a change in polarity from depression or an interval of at least 2 months without manic symptoms.

Bipolar I Disorder, Most Recent Episode Hypomanic

Currently (or most recently) in a Hypomanic Episode.
There has previously been at least one Manic Episode or Mixed Episode.
Bipolar I Disorder, Most Recent Episode Manic

Currently (or most recently) in a Manic Episode.
There has previously been at least one Major Depressive Episode, Manic Episode, or Mixed Episode.
Bipolar I Disorder, Most Recent Episode Mixed

Currently (or most recently) in a Mixed Episode.
There has previously been at least one Major Depressive Episode, Manic Episode, or Mixed Episode.
Bipolar II Disorder

Presence (or history) of one or more Major Depressive Episodes and at least one Hypomanic Episode. Additionally, there has never before been a true Manic Episode or a Mixed Episode. Bipolar II Disorder is a milder form of Bipolar disorder (compared with Bipolar I Disorder) as it involves only hypomanic episodes and not full manic episodes.