How do you know if your bipolar?

Psychiatrist: You need a thorough evaluation by a psychiatrist for the diagnosis and to determine the appropriate treatment strategies that will typical utilize a combination of counseling and medications.

Evaluation Needed: The diagnosis of bipolar disorder depends on the presence of a variety of signs and other characteristics. These include sudden and significant mood swings which involved both symptoms of depression as well as periods of more extreme hyperactivity, impulsivity, and risky behavior. This diagnosis is best made through your interaction with a mental health professional.

Bipolar do I have?: One key component is the instability of your mood. You will have moments of increased productivity, needing little sleep, often losing your temper feeling irritable and can engage in high risk behavior manifested by speeding tickets, spending and buying more you can afford. This is followed by episodes of no energy, loss of motivation, pessimism with hopelessness and thoughts about topics of death.

Mania and depression: Mania is the most distinctive feature of bipolar. Most people also have depressive episodes. Mania is characterized by impulsivity and decreased need for sleep and often increased irritability. Depression leads to decreased interest, motivation, and energy along with feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and that life is not worth living or suicide. It is important to get treatment.

Bipolar: Periods of agitation, grandiosity and lack of sleep, alternating with periods of sadness & lack of energy and appetite changes, basically highs & lows.

Psychiatric eval: Mania or hypomania: aggression, agitation, v judgment ; impulse control, distractability, rapid thoughts ; speech, ^ libido, v sleep, spending sprees, high risk behaviors, elation, ^ physical activity or psychosis. When depressed 1 may have low mood, v energy level, v concentration, amotivation, ^ or v sleeping, ^ or v in appetite, poor self esteem, feelings of hopelessness or helplessness.

Bipolar: Moods swing to extremes, between episodes of depression lasting around few weeks & phases of mania lasting few weeks each. Milder forms are called bipolar type 2 or cyclothymia, more severe forms are accompanied with psychotic symptoms such as hearing voices or seeing things that are not there. Your mental health counselor can assess & give more definite diagnosis.

Psychiatric eval: Can lead to definitive diagnosis. When a person is manic or hypomanic they may exhibit aggression, agitation, lack of judgment ; impulse control, distractability, rapid thoughts ; speech, ^ libido, v sleep, spending sprees, high risk behaviors, elation, ^ physical activity ; even psychosis. When depressed one may experience low mood, v energy level, v concentration, amotivation, ^ or v sleeping, .

Bipolar: Manic depression is a mood disorder that presents with extreme highs & lows, with at least few weeks of manic phases (abnormally elevated mood & energy level) alternating with few or more weeks of depressed phases (sad, guilty, hopeless/helpless, changes in sleep/appetite/energy level). Any phase can be severe enough to experience delusions or hallucinations.

Check to see if you: Have sx's. If yes, obtain psychiatric evaluation. When a person is manic or hypomanic they may exhibit aggression, agitation, lack of judgment ; impulse control, distractability, rapid thoughts ; speech, ^ libido, v sleep, spending sprees, high risk behaviors, elation, ^ physical activity ; even psychosis. When depressed one may experience low mood, v energy level, v concentration, amotivation, .

Psychiatric Eval.: Mania or hypomania: 1 may show aggression, agitation, v judgment ; impulse control, distractability, rapid thoughts ; speech, ^ libido, v sleep, spending sprees, high risk behaviors, elation, ^ physical activity or psychosis. When depressed 1 may have low mood, v energy level, v concentration, amotivation, ^ or v sleeping, ^ or v in appetite, poor self esteem, feelings of hopelessness or helpless.

Get eval: When a person is manic or hypomanic they may exhibit aggression, agitation, lack of judgment & impulse control,distractability, rapid thoughts & speech, ^ libido, V sleep, spending sprees, high risk behaviors, elation, ^ physical activity & even psychosis. When depressed one may experience low mood, v energy level, v concentration, amotivation, ^ or v sleeping, change in appetite, poor self est

Bipolar: Bipolar I and bipolar II, In the first, manic phases are more severe, and in the second, depressive phases are more severe. There is also cyclothymia which is a low grade version of bipolar disorder in general, where mood swings are not as severe in either direction, manic or depressive. No one knows how it develops, other than a mystery of genetic confluence.