Bipolar II and Self Esteem Ups and Downs

You might think someone with a mood disorder that includes depression would suffer from low self esteem. But this is not true all the time for those with Bipolar II disorder. Self esteem actually fluctuates with high and low moods of bipolar disorder. Let's look at Bipolar II and self esteem ups and downs.

As part of the personality, self esteem is generally stable for most individuals. And even those with low self esteem can be improved with positive thinking or counseling. But self esteem can't always be controlled or purposefully influenced for those with Bipolar II disorder. A person with Bipolar II who seems confident one day may suffer lowered self esteem the next simply based on the mood experienced at the moment.

Those who suffer from bipolar disorder have emotional highs and lows. Self esteem can go up and down along with these high and low moods. Those with Bipolar II may not get delusions of grandeur as those with Bipolar I may, but with hypomanic moods, they can become overconfident in their savoir faire, whether it applies to their abilities or social situations.

However, for those with bipolar disorder, mood highs and lows can be affected by external situations and circumstances. Whereas Bipolar II is still a chemical imbalance in the brain that causes these mood changes, if something happens, or doesn't happen as the case may be, external happenings can actually influence someone's mood who has bipolar disorder.

For example, if something good happens that someone with Bipolar II was hoping for, they may become hypomanic and have a heightened level of self-esteem. They may become overconfident even to the point of making mistakes. This could lead to depression and lowered self-esteem. So the occurrence that increased self-esteem could in effect eventually lead to lowered self-esteem.

In the alternative, if something bad happens, or if an expected event doesn't occur, someone with bipolar disorder could become depressed and self esteem be lowered based on the event or occurrence.

Having Bipolar II influences self esteem ups and downs, as external occurrences can affect the moods of bipolar disorder. With medications and/or counseling to help control moods , those with bipolar can have more stable levels of self esteem as well.

SOURCE:

Author's Personal Experience with Bipolar II Disorder

FURTHER READING ON BIPOLAR DISORDER:

http://www.bipolarlifestyles.com/category/mental-illness/bipolar-disorder/bipolar-depression/