The National Association on Mental Illness estimates that bipolar disorder affects 10 million Americans. According to the American Psychological Association, persons with bipolar disorder have periods of mania and depression. These mood shifts can be mixed, may be rapid or last for months, and can disrupt a person's functioning. If you are having symptoms of bipolar illness, it is important you get the help you need to take control of your life.
Overall Mood
If you are having manic symptoms, you may feel happy and elated and have an exaggerated sense of optimism. For example, you may be inappropriately happy or giddy in a circumstance that others are not, such as at work or at school. If you are having depressive symptoms, you might feel extreme sadness and be pessimistic about the future. In this case, you can feel low and as if there is no hope. You might feel irritable or anxious during either a high or low point with bipolar illness.
Energy
You may feel an increase in your physical and mental energy. You might not feel you need a lot of sleep. For example, you might be sleeping only for a couple hours a night, yet still feel like you have energy and just want to keep going. On the other hand, if you are in a depressed state, you might feel you have no energy, are fatigued or have poor sleep patterns. You might find yourself sleeping more than usual or be unable to sleep enough. You might be sleeping all day long or be having insomnia.
Judgment
In a manic phase, you might have poor judgment. You might be impulsive and not put a lot of thought into engaging in risky behavior. This can put you at risk for participating or being in a dangerous situation. If you are in a depressed state, you may not be decisive and may find it difficult to engage in social activities that you usually would enjoy. An example would be that you don't want to go out to eat with your family, when during normal circumstances, you would enjoy it.
Atypical Thoughts
Persons in a manic phase of bipolar illness might have racing thoughts. Sometimes, they have delusions and hallucinations. Having these types of thoughts can be scary and difficult to deal with alone. Persons who are depressed with bipolar illness might have recurrent thoughts of suicide or death. Anyone who is suicidal should seek emergency attention or go to the emergency room.
Self-Importance
An exaggerated sense of self-importance and self-confidence is common during mania. In other words, you might feel as if you are entitled to certain things or that you have a higher level of influence than you truly do. Some persons who are experiencing depression and who are bipolar may feel a tremendous amount of guilt or worthlessness. You might blame yourself for different things and have low self-esteem.
