I have bipolar II symptoms like paranoia, wild mood swings, sometimes racing mind, irritability, distorted perception of reality maybe (maybe).

Could it be a sugar problem? Or a lack of vitamins or something? I eat a lot of sweets, but still have a very healthy diet.

Bipolar Disorder, earlier known as Manic Depressive Disorder, is a common psychological illness that can disrupt one’s life severely, leading to chaotic behavior and even suicide. Affecting nearly one per cent of the population, people suffering from this disease are often highly creative and gifted. They include geniuses like poet Sylvia Plath. While in some cases the disease worsens over time, in others the patient gets well spontaneously.

Millions of people have bipolar disorder. It used to be called manic depression. With bipolar disorder, life can be like an emotional roller coaster. One day your mood is low and you feel sad. Then your mood gets really high and you feel great. Then the sadness comes back. The good news is that there’s help for these extreme mood swings. With proper treatment, people with bipolar disorder can lead normal lives.

Read the rest of this entry

Bipolar symptoms tend to be one of the great mysteries surrounding an illness. There seems to be a great deal of people who will tell you that they know all about bipolar symptoms when they don’t really have a clue. These are the type of people who will tell you that they have bipolar disease because they have been feeling slightly depressed and they ‘know’ that this is one of the bipolar symptoms. Being bipolar is in fact much more serious and the bipolar symptoms that sufferer’s exhibit are much more pronounced than just being a little down.
As bipolar disorder has four separate phases with two main ‘categories’ there are actually more bipolar symptoms than you would think. As the two main categories are mania and depression it is easier to think of the bipolar symptoms in two lists, one for mania and one for depression.
Mania bipolar symptoms
• Extreme highs during which a person may feel elated for no reason and be quite excitable
• Feelings of “I can do anything” even for the most risky activities
• Feeling as though you can function perfectly well on little or no sleep, often for days
• Risk taking – this can be in the form of dangerous activities, excessive consumption of alcohol and the taking of drugs.
• Spending sprees – these are usually something which the person who is bipolar cannot afford and during a spree they will buy things that they do not want or need. After a spree they may wonder why they have bought items and not be able to remember doing it very well.
• In more extreme cases during a manic episode the person with bipolar disorder may suffer from hallucinations and delusions which can seem quite real to them at the time.
Depressed bipolar symptoms
• Feelings of little or no self worth
• Sleeping too much and finding it hard to get up in the mornings
• Putting on or losing weight, often rapidly
• Low levels of concentration
• Feeling like you are unable to cope with daily life – going to work, dealing with others etc
• Lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities
• Lack of sexual desire
• In some very severe cases the sufferer might seriously think about committing suicide and could try to do so
Often these bipolar symptoms will occur in cycles with times when the sufferer seems to be quite well and not in the throes of a manic or depressive episode. Or there can also be times when the bipolar symptoms that an individual displays are not as pronounced during a manic episode and this is referred to as hypermania. Whilst these episodes are not as severe they can still be quite disturbing for the person with bipolar disorder and those around them and they can also be the signal that a more heightened episode is on its way.

As the numbers of people being diagnosed with bipolar disorder grows there are more and more people starting to worry that they or someone who is well known to them has the illness. However the problems start when these people do not actually know what bipolar disorder symptoms are and start to self diagnose. If you want to know which are the bipolar disorder symptoms that you should not ignore take a look at the list below:
• Manic or high episodes – these occur every few weeks or days in severe cases and these types of bipolar disorder symptoms are quite easy to spot. During a high a bipolar sufferer may be hyperactive, they might find they only need a couple of hours sleep each night and they feel as though they can take on any challenge.
• Risk taking may increase – during highs another one of the more dangerous bipolar disorder symptoms presents itself and the sufferer may take risks that they would not usually do. This could mean taking physical risks or consuming alcohol, stimulant drugs or both.
• Spending sprees – this might sound like a strange symptom but this is one of the most common bipolar disorder symptoms which many sufferers exhibit. These spending sprees are part of the risk taking behaviour and can sometimes seem totally out of character.
• Depressive episodes – during these times a person who is bipolar may completely withdraw into themselves and shun the outside world. They may have feelings anger, guilt or apathy and lack motivation. These bipolar disorders symptoms can cause disturbances in a person’s life as some will find it impossible to go to work or maintain relationships.
• Weight gain – this can be another of the bipolar disorder symptoms as a person’s appetite may change significantly. In the same way a person may lose a significant amount of weight when they are having a depressed episode and they lose their appetite.
• Another one of the bipolar disorder symptoms is known as ‘rapid cycling’ and this is the name given to when a person’s highs and lows go through fast cycles. For example a person may be on a manic high for 4-5 days then suddenly experience a severe low for the same period, next they might appear to be quite normal. Then the cycle begins again – this one of the more alarming bipolar disorder symptoms and one that is very common when a person’s moods are not being controlled and stabilised with the correct medication.
As you can see there are a large number of bipolar disorder symptoms and this list is by no means exhaustive. Some people who suffer from bipolar disorder may find that they exhibit all of these symptoms whilst others may only exhibit a few of them. However for a doctor to make a diagnosis of bipolar disorder the bipolar disorder symptoms must occur in regular cycles and not just be the result of a one time emotional upset in a person’s life.

Bipolar disorder is a mood effecting illness that can be very problematic for those who suffer from it, and millions of people do. Many people do not even realise that the way they are feeling is actually a medical condition until the find out about bipolar symptoms and recognises that they are in fact bipolar. Here are the depression and mania bipolar symptoms to look out for if you suspect you are bipolar or someone you know is.
Depression bipolar symptoms
• Having no energy and constantly feeling tired
• Losing interest in things you were once keen on, this can also include sex
• Difficulty in making decisions
• Sleeping much more or much less than normal
• Feelings of guilt and worthlessness
• Suicidal thoughts

Everyone will feel depressed at different times in their life, but when a person is bipolar these times go on for much longer than would be expected and they begin to affect a person’s quality of life.
Mania bipolar symptoms
• Excessive energy
• Sleeping much less than normal
• A constantly racing mind
• Becoming very talkative
• Engaging in risky activities – this can vary from person to person but usually with bipolar symptoms these activities are not usually something a person would do
• Reliance on drugs or alcohol

Read the rest of this entry

Everyone experiences mood highs and lows. It is just a normal part of life. For those suffering bipolar disorder disease these highs and lows can vary from one extreme to another. The very high and low mood swings can interupt a normal daily life and can become very dangerous. If the person feels depressed, no work gets done. The next day they have so much energy that they go into overdrive mode. Other people see this hyper energy as being reckless or uncontrolled.

Read the rest of this entry

Do you find that you have wild mood shifts from depression to euphoria? Do you find that your life is being compromised by your unstable mental state? Do you find yourself sometimes talking over people and talking too fast? Did you have episodes of super creativity with lots of ideas but unable to focus on any one in particular? Have you engaged in very risky behaviors believing there was no way you could fail? Have your actions caused severe damage to your life or that of your family? Have you entered depression that lasted for 4 days or more and then reverted back to euphoria? These are typical symptoms of bipolar disorder.

This mental disorder that affects millions of Americans and symptoms vary from mild to severe. Mild symptoms can become worse over time if not treated. It is important to treat this illness early to prevent symptoms from getting worses over time. If you think you might have bipolar disorder the first step is to take inventory of all your symptoms and unusual behaviors during the past few months to a year. Then contact a mental health care provider such as a psychiatrist to determine if you have it.

Read the rest of this entry

what are the symptoms of bipolar