How do I know if I am bipolar?

Answer 1

Here's a link to an assessment to help you know if you should be checked out by a Dr. for the condition or not.

Good Luck!

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/97/103969.htm

Answer 2

Severe mood swings--from being hyper for a while, to being totally depressed--where you don't feel like doing anything.

You can check out bipolar, and other mental health issues at
http://www.about.com
they let you take anonymous quizzes, have a whole lot to read on each condition, have forums to read, and can even send you newsletters if you want them to.

From them, you can see if your symptoms match those of bipolar, or of another disorder. In any case, they tell you that they are no substitute for medical care--which is absolutely true. If you think you have bipolar, or any other condition, you must go to a doctor or clinic--right away.

Answer 3

From what I understand , if you have very high highs, and very low lows, you might be bipolar. We all are somewhat up or down, but the bipolar folks I know are extremely high when they are up and almost to low to crawl when down. Get a diagnosis so you will know for sure. Your family doctor is a good place to start. He can refer you to a specialist. Good luck!

Answer 4

bipolar is not that easy to diagnose as some people think, you probably should talk to your doctor for this question, there are lots of different things you can do to help you if you are,. you can try regular exercise and good nutrition first see if it helps, If you still feel bad or what ever after two weeks maybe try adding some meds with your eating and exercising plan.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How do I know if I am bipolar?

Answer 6

You should speak to your doctor about this. Only a medical professional can accurately diagnose you. They can also get you the help you need if they find that you are bipolar. Good luck!

Answer 7

Hi:

Only an MD can diagnose Bipolar, but here are some web sites that may have the answers that you are searching for. I am bipolar and I have checked these sites for you prior to giving you the links. I chose these because I thought they have great information for you.

I hope it helps and Be Well.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000926.htm#Symptoms

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bipolar.cfm

http://www.bipolarhome.org/

http://www.coulditbebipolar.com

http://abilify.com

***The first 3 sites I believe they are the best for your information that you are looking for.***

Answer 8

An exapmle of Bipolar is that you're a normally calm person, then someone says something you disagree with you blow up on them. Another example is went you spend a lot of time thinking about a minor situation you're not happy with and over a period of time the situation becomes a much bigger problem than it actually is.

Answer 9

Please see mentalhelp.net, where I found this for you.

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

CenterSite


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

Answer 10

Your GP will access you