The Bipolar disorder is also known as manic-depressive illness. This illness is characterized by extreme mood swings. A person suffering from this disorder can go from being extremely up beat and energized to very irritable, hopeless, and depressed. As a persons mood swings back and forth, a persons behavior and desires swing back and forth also.
Bipolar disorder derives its name from the two opposite ends of the mood swing described above. The two ends of the mood swing are called mania and depression. Both mania and depression have a variety of signs and symptoms indicating whether a person is experiencing mania or depression.
Signs of Mania include:
- Needing little to no sleep and having abnormally high amounts of energy
- Speaking very fast and moving sporadically between topics
- Easily distracted and racing thoughts
- Showing a false sense of importance and power including reckless acts
Signs of Depression include:
- Changes in weight and eating habits
- Changes in sleeping habits
- No concentration including difficulty making decisions
- No feeling
- Feeling of nothingness or guilt
- Entertaining thoughts of suicide