Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression, is a mental illness with features of mania and depression. People with this condition experience extreme cycles of mood and energy level. The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that bipolar disorder tends to worsen if it is not professionally treated. Bipolar disorder can strike at any age, but it is relatively uncommon in children.
Manic Episodes
A full-blown manic episode involves a display of intense mood and increased activity. While a bipolar person's mood is usually elated or "high," the individual can also be in an angry or irritable mood. The person usually speaks rapidly and may talk nonstop for hours. The conversation of the sufferer jumps from one thought to another with a significant lack of judgment. He may tell someone that he thinks the person is fat one second and be telling a small child to jump out the window the next. The person may go on a reckless shopping spree or engage in risky or dangerous behavior. She may go for two or more days without sleeping and when she does fall asleep, she often awakens with the same frenetic energy. Not surprisingly, these patients sometimes end up hospitalized for their own safety until the mania passes.
Some high-energy episodes are less intense; these are called hypomanic episodes. The National Institute of Mental Health explains that someone experiencing hypomania may have increased energy and an elevated mood without the alarming characteristics of full-blown mania.
Depressive Episodes
Depressive episodes in the person with bipolar disorder are quite similar to those found in major depression. The person feels hopeless and sad and displays a lack of interest in his normal recreational activities. She may appear to be in slow motion physically and her thought processes may be slowed as well. He may sleep for 12 hours at a time and have a difficult time mustering up energy or enthusiasm for any task. She may worry excessively and contemplate suicide.
Occasionally, a depressed mood will be less severe than a full-blown depressive episode. The person may exhibit less energy than usual and tend to be quiet and disengaged from his surroundings, but not suffer from severely depressed feelings and behaviors.
Normal Moods
Fortunately, most people who are treated for bipolar disorder have normal moods most of the time. Periods of normalcy may last for months or years, especially when the disorder is being well-managed by the individual and his mental health professional.
References
- "Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Concepts of Care in Evidence-Based Practice"; Mary C. Townsend, MN, APRN; 2006
- National Institute of Mental Health: Bipolar Disorder
- National Alliance on Mental Illness: Bipolar Disorder
