About Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness characterized by dramatic mood swings. Patients with the disease cycle between the extreme emotional high of mania and the debilitating lows of depressions. Some patients may experience a state called hypo-mania, in which they are more energetic but not as extreme as full-blown mania. The National Alliance of Mental Illness estimates that over 10 million people in the U.S. have the bipolar disorder. It can run in families and, according to the National Institute of Health, the age of onset is usually late adolescence into early adulthood.
Bipolar Symptoms
The symptoms of bipolar disorder vary by phase and individual. In the manic phase, some patients exhibit aggressive behavior. Others exhibit euphoria, without aggression. Inflated self-esteem, increased activity and risky behavior are all marks of a manic mood shift--as is a decreased need for sleep, rapid speech and hypersexuality. In the depressive phase, patients may exhibit anxiety and hopelessness as well as irritability, appetite and sleep problems, and reduced sex drive. Some patients may also experience a mixed state in which they have symptoms of mania and depression. Mixed states are very dangerous because suicidal thoughts are very common in the depressed state. However, in the depressed state, the patient is often too immobilized by the depression to act on the impulses. In the mixed state, the patient is depressed enough to consider suicide but active enough to actually do something about it.
Bipolar Disorder and Sexuality
Although bipolar disorder has definite effects on sexual behavior, the sexual symptoms are often ignored or lumped in with the other symptoms. However, bipolar sexual behavior is important because it can often have a negative impact on the patient and his relationships. In relationships with bipolar people, sex is sometimes an all-or-nothing proposition. During the manic phase, the patient may exhibit insatiable and even compulsive sexual behavior. He may even engage in risky sexual behavior with his partner, or with multiple partners. In the depressive stage, the patient may have no interest in, or ability to have, sex at all.
Bipolar and Erectile Dysfunction
Bipolar disorder is not considered a direct cause of erectile dysfunction, but there are several aspects of the disorder that can negatively affect sexual performance. Low libido is a function of depression, and it's possible for a bipolar male to experience erectile dysfunction as part of the depressive stage. Medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors that treat bipolar disorder have known sexual side effects and can also cause erectile dysfunction. Guilt about manic sexual behavior and negative events, such as a disease scare or a frightening sexual encounter, may also cause anxiety-induced erectile dysfunction.
