What is bi polar disorder and would you know if you had it?

Answer 1

Jo, Bi-polar Disorder is what they used to call Manic-Depression. The old name actually gives the lay person a general idea of what it is.

It is far more than mood swings. It is not that some days you feel good and some days you feel down. It does vary in severity, but if one has it, it will get worse as they age. It is a period of time - could be a few weeks to months - where the patient is stuck in a manic or depressed phase.

Would you know if you had it? You would probably not notice if you were in a manic state, but you would definitely know you are depressed. It is the depression that usually brings someone to go to a doctor, who will eventually be able to diagnose the true disorder. However, even though you would not notice it when you are in a manic state, your loved ones will notice a difference, though not necessarily know you are sick.

The level of depression depends on the patient. It can range from feeling down, unable to enjoy or care about things, but still be able to drag yourself to school or work - functional to feeling so low that you can barely get out of bed, have no appetite or the opposite - find solace in food - find it almost impossible to concentrate, have feelings that life is not worth it, lose the ability to funtion at all and even become suicidal.

The doctor usually diagnoses the patient with Uni-polar Depression, meaning just the depression. He/she will eventually change the diagnosis when the mania or hypo-mania (to a lesser degree) shows itself

In Bi-polar Disorder, the depression will stop suddenly, overnight or in the middle of the day. In the lesser type, the person will feel very cheery, feel that life is great, forgetting that only hours ago he/she felt life was not worth living. The patient seems to have an unusual amount of energy and creativity, staying up very late or not sleeping at all. The appetite definitely disappears here. The patient does things that are not typical for them, may spend money like crazy,i.e., shopping sprees, etc.

In the more severe cases, the patient becomes outright psychotic, becoming delusional. It is very common for a patient to decide to visit someone - who lives 2,000 miles away, get on a plane and just show up. Paranoia sets in, with the patient thinking others are spying on them, from the family to the government. It is at this point that the patient can become a danger to others; and this is usually what brings a Bi-polar patient to the doctor, via an ambulance trip to the hospital.

Now, the doctors will first suspect schizophrenia, although psychotropic meds (anti-psychotics) will not work well on someone with Bi-polar. It is a temporary treatment, to calm the patient down and stop some of the delusions. Then when the manic phase switches to the depressive, the doctors know the true diagnosis.

There is no cure for Bi-polar Disorder, however, the patient can come to live a normal life, once the level of their meds is regulated. The medication used to treat this disorder is Lithium. It takes several months before the correct dosage is figured out. Once it is, the patient can feel normal with normal highs and lows. Unfortunately, because they feel so normal, many patients stop taking their meds, bringing on an immediate relapse.

There are many, many people out there living normal lives with this disorder, simply by taking their Lithium. It is no different than a diabetic who must take insulin or any other illness that can be controlled as long as medication is taken.

Answer 2

Bi-polar is a rename for the word manic depression. It has to do with mood swings (highs and lows). It's when you have no control for when you're happy, or sad.
You can not for certain tell if you are unless you get tested with lithium.
If you are bi-polar, then you'll have a chemical imbalance inside you. That chemical imbalance causes those mood swings. What lithium does is correct that chemical imbalance. If you really are bi-polar, then while taking lithium you'll see a big difference in your mood, you'll become more stable.
Until you get tested with lithium, then you can only assume either you are or are not bi-polar.
Read Mr Taco's response and mine. Our two combine gives you the main answer you're looking for.
You can do excessive of things as some have mentioned, but that doesn't mean for certain you are bi-polar.
You can not be in the military if you are bi-polar. There's people in the military that might be bi-polar, but if they are tested and found to be bi-polar, then they automatically get medically discharged. No exceptions. That's how serious bi-polar can be.

Answer 3

Bi polar disorder is when a person only has two states - a "high" state, when they are always excited, frantic, reckless and capable of doing a huge amount of work and a "low" state, when they are depressed, unable to do anything, very unhappy and in despair. The person with bi polar disorder swings sharply between these two states (or "poles"), and there is nothing in between. You would know if you had bipolar disorder if you had these dramatic mood swings, and there may also be certail medical symptoms. If you think you have this I reccomend you go to your doctor. However don't worry, bi polar disorder can be overcome with a good doctor and counsellor. I wish you luck. :-)

Answer 4

I didnt really know until I was diagnosed. I was cutting I was manic and I didnt know what the hell was going on. I really didnt know what to think. In some respects I was relieved when I was diagnosed because I knew then what I had to work on.

As to what bipolar disorder is its a mental illness that is a chemical embalance that causes a person to be depressed or manic. Depression is self explanatory but mania is pretty much the opposite where a person starts to feel really good and energized unfortunately it doesnt stop at that point. The person might engage in risky behavior such as spending sprees, sex, reckless driving etc. During mania the person doesnt always feel that great because of the racing thoughts of go go go it can get irritating as well as the lack of sleep. Another thing that hurts is when people tell you to slow down and you cant. There are also lots of books and websites on bipolar. Its a tough mental illness to manage because the body chemistry is always changing and that is usually triggered by stress. I hope this is a good start and check out some websites.

Answer 5

Bi-polar disorder is complicating, but it basically means that you are biologically predisposed toward very extreme mood changes. One moment you are high as a kite, happy, motivated, and maybe even overly excited about everything. You'll talk fast, start doing things you never do, etc. etc. Then the next moment, you are at the lowest of lows. You are depressed, sleep all day, and can even be suicidal. Sometimes bi-polar sufferers cycle through this over and over again, and it can affect their ability to function very severely. Despite some ignorance that is circulating out there on the subject, bi-polar is a rather serious and legitimate disease.

There is only one way to know for sure if you have it. Go see your doctor. They can treat you, or refer you to a psychiatrist who can. Bi-polar has no cure, but it can be treated through therapy, counseling, medication, and exercise. My wife has it, and leads a perfectly normal life by sticking to the regimen set by her doctors, but before she knew she had it, her life was rather miserable. If you or someone you know shows the symptoms above, get thee to a doctor!

Answer 6

there are maximum of theories as to what motives Bi-polar affliction. There are even issues that have shown it has a genetic foundation among specific communities of persons. If he particularly has bi-polar affliction, it is not catchy like a chilly besides the indisputable fact that. There might have been an journey that brought about the onset of this and it basically became into something inevitable. the main needed concern, is which you and your loved ones are there for him. Bi-polar affliction might nicely be a terrible psychological ailment to handle. there are various drugs which could help, and he needs to work out a psychiatrist and a therapist quite to get the basically right effects for medical care. drugs works on a guy or woman foundation, and a few people decide for what's talked approximately as an "integrative" attitude with diverse drugs and medical care. Love him no count number what and be there for him. If it gets too demanding for you/and your loved ones, finding somebody to talk to even in the community is usually a sturdy thought. Calling around to work out if their are help communities can help your father and you the two. you will possibly be able to additionally decide for to evaluate getting yet another opinion for further assessment if at any time you experience that's mandatory or in case you do not trust the wellbeing care expert's determination. Peace

Answer 7

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. Different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe.

If you suspect you or someone you love may be bi-polar, you should seek the advice and treatment of a mental health professional right away.

Answer 8

Bi-polar is the same as manic depressive. You have periods of highs and lows. Some days you feel great and can accomplish anything but other days you can't even get out of bed. Bi-polar can be treated with medication. Look at www.webmd.com. They should have an article on bi-polar and list symptoms.

Answer 9

Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic-depressive illness, is a condition that affects more than two million Americans. People who have this illness tend to experience extreme mood swings, along with other specific symptoms and behaviors. These mood swings or "episodes" can take three forms: manic episodes, depressive episodes, or "mixed" episodes.
The symptoms of a manic episode often include elevated mood (feeling extremely happy), being extremely irritable and anxious, talking too fast and too much, and having an unusual increase in energy and a reduced need for sleep. It's also very common for someone to act impulsively during a manic episode, and engage in behaviors that are risky or that they later regret, like spending sprees. And in over half of all manic episodes, people are troubled by delusions or hallucinations. For example, they may think they have a relationship with someone famous, claim to be an expert in an area they really know nothing about, feel paranoid (unusually fearful), or hear voices that are not there.

The symptoms of a depressive episode often include an overwhelming feeling of emptiness or sadness, a lack of energy, a loss of interest in things, trouble concentrating, changes in normal sleep or appetite, and/or thoughts of dying or suicide.

A mixed episode includes symptoms that are both manic and depressive.

You may not know that you are bipolar, but you would know that something is not right with you.

Answer 10

Lots of people say that you will go from happy to sad in an instant but thats not true. Not for me anyways. You can usually tell an episode is coming on because there will be a build up to it for a few weeks or even months. If its mania you will start to sleep less, your thoughts will start to not make sense and come rapidly, you will talk more, feel more confident and happy. But if you go too high you can become very irratible, angry, dangerous to others and even homicidal. Or delusional and maybe start hearing voices. If you have never been manic before and you start to feel far too good and others notice your judgement starting to lack, talking too fast, etc you will know that something is not right. However, remember that it can feel fantastic and you will probably not believe that anything is wrong, either cos you truly believe that or you just dont want to come down from the high. But bad things can come from it as your judgement is so out of whack. Best thing is to talk to a GP and get a referral to a psychiatrist if you both have suspicions. It can go from being the most wonderful experience in your life to the worst very fast as you deteriorate more. Talk to someone if you are worried. Someone who knows what they are talking about eg. a doctor or psychiatrist.
You dont have to learn about this illness the hard way by letting it get out of hand.