Depression – no energy, no sex drive, feel no pleasure, stop doing all the things you once loved, feel sadness or despair, sleep a lot, hate yourself and feel guilt about being depressed, life holds nothing, and you have no desire to do anything but sleep…. sometimes even brushing your teeth is just more than you can handle. You just want to crawl under a rock and be left alone. Your mind doesn’t work, you may find that you can no longer do math, when it used to be your best subject.

Hypomania – more energy that normal, increased sex drive, feel happy most of the time (ain’t life grand), take up a new hobby or 3, sleep is normal or around 6 hours a night, have confidence in yourself and you abilities, life is good and your mind works like a well oiled machine, you whiz through yoru homework and get everything right. Enjoy shopping and spending a bit more money than you should.

Full Blown Mania – You have so much energy you feel like you are invincable and can accomplish anything you want to – you are superhuman. Hypersexual – masturbating 10 times a day, sleep with strangers or people you shouldn’t (your sisters husband), don’t use protection, become very very kinky (whips and chains kinky). Sleep only 2 or 3 hours a night and feel perfectly rested (for months). New hobbies might include deciding you can put new siding on your house by yourself with a hack saw and a hammer (how hard could it be). Believe you $hit gold and piss rose water. Reckless spending sprees, like spending the mortage money on furniture or cashing out your 401k so you can buy thousands of imported african violets because you saw one on line and liked it. Reckless behavior – driving your car 140mph, walking the edge of the roof of a 5 story building…….

When you read the symptoms listed online you need to apply this kind of extremity to them…….

Not everyone has all these symptoms and there are many more than I listed that apply…. this is what Bipolar is to me.

The swing in bipolar occur on average once or maybe twice a year. Again, it is NOT rapid changes in emotions…….

Manic Phase: euphoria, estreme optimism, inflated self-esteem, poor judgment, rapid speech, racing thoughts, aggressiveness, agitation, risky behavior, spending sprees, increased sexual drive, decreased need for sleep, drug abuse in some

Depressive Phase: sadness, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts or behavior, anxiety, guilt, sleep problems, appetite problems, fatigue, loss of interest in daily activities, problems concentrating, irritability, chronic pain with no known cause.

If your friend is seeing and hearing things that aren’t there, along with above symptoms, it has developed into psychosis.

Cyclothymia is a milder form of bipolar, the mood swings are not as debilitating as full blown bipolar disorder. Rapid Cycling is 4 or more cycles of mania followed by depression within 12 months.

bipolar depression/major depression

* depressed mood and low self-esteem
* low energy levels and apathy
* sadness, loneliness, helplessness, guilt
* slow speech, fatigue, and poor coordination
* insomnia or oversleeping
* suicidal thoughts and feelings
* poor concentration
* lack of interest or pleasure in usual activities

Call Your Doctor if:

* You notice some of these symptoms in a family member. Note: Persons with bipolar disorder often deny anything is wrong, especially in the manic phase. If you are worried about a family member or close friend, a doctor can offer advice on how to handle the situation.
* You notice some of these symptoms in yourself.