What is the difference between bipolar disorder and severe insomnia?

Question

Is there a difference? Aren't the symptoms alike? thanks

Answer 1

Bipolar disorder is characterized by severe mood swings, between being manic and grandiose and being seriously depressed. It is a serious psychiatric condition and is usually treated with medication (e.g. lithium) and some psychotherapy. The condition may persist for years but may be controlled to some extent with the medication. Severe insomnia may be one symptom of this disease but is not the same since it does not include the full range of symptoms of a bipolar disorder. However persistent insomnia can temporarily generate extreme emotional symptoms such as depression, anxiety, mood swings, and even hallucinations and delusions such as paranoia. These symptoms, though, are temporary and should disappear once the person gets sufficient sleep.

Answer 2

As far as I know, bipolar disorder is like manic depression involving mood swings. I think the other condition you're talking about is terminal insomnia, which is more like dementia in it's symptoms and is passed on genetically, having nothing to do with ordinary insomnia.

Answer 3

bipolar disorder is classified as a mood disorder. sometimes a mood swing can cause lack of sleep, but this is usually an occurrence during a "manic" episode.

severe insomnia is a sleep disorder...

for more information on these and any other disorders you're curious about, do a yahoo search.

Answer 4

louis, there's a big difference.

Bipolar people suffer mood swings. They're way up, or way down. When up, they're creative, accomplish a lot, and often perfectly tolerable to be around. When they're down, they may be sullen, withdrawn, or they may lash out or be irrationally angry over small matters.

Insomnia is simply the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep for a reasonable period. It may produce giddiness or grouchiness, but they're a direct result of sleep depirvation, not bipolarity.

Answer 5

Don't ever take the sleeping pills route!!

1. They will damage your liver big time and you can get into serious health problems.

2. You will get hooked up on them and you won't be able to have a normal life any more if you don't take your pills everyday.

The sleeping pills industry is damaging our health by capitalizing on our ignorance, and by distracting people from effective and natural ways to deal with this problem. I had been taking prescription sleep medications [Ambien] for over 5 years. It stopped working and I simply took more. Still did not work. Nights were very difficult - medication put me to sleep but I would wake up after 2–3 hours with a strong sympathetic response (fast pulse, pounding heartbeat, wide awake alert). It was a very difficult cycle to break. I was really in bad shape due to lack of sleep.

After years of struggling I was able to cure my insomnia naturally and pretty fast. I followed the Sleep Tracks sleep optimization program, here is their official web -site if you want to take a look: http://www.insomniacure.net

Ohhh..and Good Luck!