A Guide to Bipolar Disorder Symptoms and Signs

Bipolar disorder is a complicated illness. It can take many shapes and forms and show many different symptoms. In fact, sometimes the symptoms can be completely unnoticed.

The first step in the process is finding out if you or a loved one may suffer from the illness. It is best to recognize these symptoms as early as possible as the disorder is much easier to treat in the earliest stages.

The signs and symptoms you should typically look for in yourself or someone you believe to be suffering from this illness are:

Bipolar Mania Symptoms
Euphoria or Irritability
Excessive talk; Racing thoughts
Inflated Self-Esteem
Unusual energy with obvious lack of sleep
Impulsiveness, reckless pursuit of gratification (heavy spending, pointless and random travel, inappropriate sexual activities, risky business investments, fast driving)
Forgetfulness
Easily distracted

Bipolar Depression Symptoms
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

There are many different kinds of bipolar disorders. Those who suffer from BPD can, and mostly do, experience a range of symptoms from bipolar mania to depression in some form.

Bipolar I
An individual who is affected by BPD-I has most likely had one or more manic episodes throughout their life. A manic episode is a length of time in which the person experiences unusually good mood which is joined by unusual behavior that impacts negatively on their life.

Bipolar II
An individual who is affected by BPD-II has similar symptoms as a person with BPD-I, except the mood cycles happen or much longer periods of time and are both high and low. With BPD-II, the high points never escalate to manic levels, though.

Rapid Cycling
Rapid cycling is the term given to people who have BPD and go through at least four episodes of mania/depression in a single year. About a fifth of those with BPD have rapid cycling.

Mixed Bipolar
Mixed bipolar is the term for those with BPD whose moods change between high and low over time, however, with this form of BPD, the person experiences the manic/depressed episodes at the same time or one right after the other.

Cyclothymia
Cyclothymia is a generally mild mood disorder. Those with cyclothymia have milder symptoms than in full-blown bipolar disorder. It is basically an 'entry level disorder'.

The information in this article has been cited from the following informational websites:
HelpGuide.org
WebMD.com
About.com