You are sad one minute, hyper the next, giddy, and then back to sad, teary, and wanting to hide. It’s very confusing and it’s scary how fast your mood can change and change and change. You feel like your moods are changing so quickly and you don’t know when you will feel “right” again.
A person with bipolar II experiences depression and hypomania, a less extreme form of mania. People with bipolar disorder experience bipolar depression more often than mania or hypomania . Bipolar depression is also more likely to be accompanied by suicidal thinking and behavior. If you have bipolar, your mood swings go above stable levels anywhere between a 6 and 10. With bipolar when you experience depression it falls below 4 to as low as suicidal depression of 0.
What is the outlook (prognosis) of bipolar disorder?
Antipsychotic drugs are also sometimes used alone or in combination with mood stabilizers for preventive treatment. Manic or depressive episodes with mixed features generally require treatment with medication. Unfortunately, such episodes are more difficult to control than an episode of pure mania or depression. The main drugs used to treat episodes with mixed features are mood stabilizers and antipsychotics. Action heroes take action, but when those heroes also go public about their mental illness, it inspires others to take action towards improving their mental health management too. Actor Jean-Claude Van Damme has also been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
For some people depression is more likely to occur during the winter months. A 2019 study suggests that people with bipolar disorder might be more sensitive to light when experiencing a mood episode like hypomania. Regular and continued use of medication can help reduce episodes of mania and depression. Because of this, it’s important to be honest and thorough when explaining all of your symptoms and experiences when talking with your healthcare provider.
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Mixed features refers to the presence of high and low symptoms occurring at the same time, or as part of a single episode, in people experiencing an episode of mania or depression. In most forms of bipolar disorder, moods alternate between elevated and depressed over time. A person with mixed features experiences symptoms of both mood “poles” — mania and depression — simultaneously or in rapid sequence. It can be challenging to find an effective treatment for rapid cycling. Lithium, often used to treat bipolar disorder, is effective in about 20 to 40% of people with rapid cycling.
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Other symptoms include significant weight loss, or changes to appetite, insomnia or sleeping too much, restlessness or slowed behaviour, fatigue or loss of energy and difficulty concentrating. Not otherwise specified is a category for symptoms of bipolar disorder that do not clearly fit into other types. NOS is diagnosed when multiple symptoms of bipolar disorder are present but not enough to meet the label for any of the other subtypes.
A part of the Banyan team since 2016, Alyssa brings over 5 years of experience in the addiction treatment field. You also have to know when and if you need to leave a romantic relationship—like if the person you are dating becomes dangerous, stops getting therapy, or becomes too unstable for you. Lithium in particular, taken long term, has been shown to reduce the risk. Your loved one might be hesitant to say how they’re really feeling, especially if they are depressed. Rapid cycling often coexists with and can compound symptoms of other conditions. Honesty and communication are foundational to establishing trust.
For example, during a manic episode of bipolar disorder, you may experience symptoms of psychosis, such as hallucinations, hearing voices, and other delusions. Sometimes people with these symptoms receive a diagnosis of schizophrenia but actually have bipolar disorder. Sometimes, certain thyroid issues cause symptoms that are similar to those of bipolar disorder. After other possible causes are ruled out, your doctor will likely refer you to a mental health specialist. Also known as cyclothymia, this is a rare type of bipolar disorder. Its highs and lows are usually less severe than those of bipolar l and bipolar ll.
Talk with your healthcare provider to understand the risks, side effects and benefits of the medication. Self-management strategies, like education and identifying the early symptoms of an episode or possible triggers of episodes. The severity of the depressive and manic phases can differ from person to person and in the same person at different times.
Healthcare providers used to use “manic depression” to describe a wide range of mental health conditions. The rapid cycling can add a whole other dimension of daily surprises. Those with rapid cycling, like me, can experience multiple moods in a week or within a single day.
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