Being bipolar is a mental disorder which affects the behavior and personality of the person who has it. Its most obvious symptoms are mood swings. Although not everyone will be affected by these manic-depressive episodes in the same way, at OneHowTo we want to give you some key points on how to know if you're bipolar. Depending on how often the episodes are, their duration or how severe the mood swings are, you'll be able to detect if you are suffering from bipolar disorder.
Whenever you feel down, have sudden and constant changes of mood or you notice some severe or depressive symptoms of mania, go to see a specialist. Many types of mental disorders are unknown, but they can be treated by following a doctor's instructions. For bipolar disorder, although it is a lifelong disease, you can reduce the effects and symptoms by following recommendations and prescriptions.
So, how to know if I'm bipolar? First of allyou should analyse yourself. However, before doing so, we want to explain some of the more obvious symptoms of this disease to make it easier to recognize. Pay attention.
Exaggerated mood swings are one of the first symptoms during a period of bipolar disorder. When we talk about change of mood, we are referring to either a good mood with excessive euphoria or a bad mood with exaggerated irritability. The energy from these manic episodes is very high and affects both the activity, and speech or gestures. These changes are reflected in impulsivity or a low level of control.
There is a second group of symptoms that may occur during depressive episodes. Remember that bipolar disorder includes both sides (manic and depressive). During this period, they suffer the opposite of mania; they lose significant amounts of energy. Activity is decreased and the person suffers from despondency, a lack of concentration or the loss of control to make rational decisions. It is very common during a depressive episode to experience feelings of guilt, loneliness and unhappiness, as well as a change in eating and sleeping habits (loss of appetite, sleeping less or more etc.).
Once you know the most common symptoms you suffer with your bipolar disorder, you can start to carefully analyse your behavior. If you recognize any of the above symptoms in your behavior, it is important to collect all the information you can, so that you can present it to a specialist. You should record the duration and severity of your manic-depressive episodes and the causes of your excessive mood swings, whatever they might be.
Trace your family history and see if any relatives also suffered any problems or mental disorders. This will be important when explaining to a specialist (psychologist or psychiatrist) what is happening to you. Sometimes these disorders can come from previous depression or genetic inheritance.
Finally, go to your psychologist or psychiatrist so they can study you and assess your mental state. Try to cooperate and collaborate in everything that they ask of you. Remember that they are a specialist who is trying to help you and give you a solution. Under no circumstances will you be judged.
If you experience a critical or exaggerated episode, do not hesitate to ask for help. Going to a medical center or having warnings for your family and friends can help to prevent a tragedy. When out of control, suicidal instincts are higher. Seek help to defuse the crisis.
If a person close to you suffers from this disorder, we recommend consulting the following articles: How to deal with bipolar disorder
This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.
If you want to read similar articles to How To Know If I'm Bipolar, we recommend you visit our Mental health category.