7 Signs That You or a Loved One May Have Bipolar Disorder

People struggle with mental illness every day, and millions of them have no idea there’s something wrong. About 5.7 million adult Americans deal with bipolar disorder, an illness that affects their mood and causes extreme swings in them, with the average age starting around 25. Still, this illness can happen to anyone across all demographics. Around 20% of teens dealing with depression are also developing this disorder within five years, and many kids and teens who are depressed may be showing signs of this problem.

If you don’t struggle with bipolar disorder, two-thirds of people have someone in their immediate family with it, so you should know what signs of this condition to look for to get them the help they need. Let’s explore this by examining the condition, its causes, risk factors, and what symptoms signal someone coping with it needs help.

If you live in the Seattle, Washington, area and you or someone you care about has bipolar disorder or some other mental health illness, Edward Macias and his team at Blue Mountain Psychiatry can help.

Facts about bipolar disorder

This mental health condition is also known as manic depression or manic depressive illness, and the mood swings that are typical of it can be extreme enough to alter your behavior and rapidly shift your energy levels. To understand the different ends of the bipolar spectrum, let’s have a closer look at the manic and depressive aspects of it.

Manic swings

This is the hypomania aspect of bipolar disorder, which causes changes in disposition, including elevated irritability or euphoria combined with wild bursts of energy, being highly talkative, and emotionally charged. This can lead to a lot of risky behavior, such as gambling, excessive spending sprees, and reckless driving. It can also present hallucinations and delusions, making this aspect easy to confuse with schizoaffective disorders.

Depressive swings

The opposite extreme of this illness is the low energy, lack of interest in anything you enjoy, feelings of worthlessness, and changes in appetite associated with the depressive swing. 

There are subtypes of this condition where you experience different amounts of mania or depression, like bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymic disorder, and unspecified types that don’t fit into the other categories. 

Causes and risk factors

The cause of bipolar disorder is not entirely understood. Still, some factors raise your risk of getting it, such as irregular brain chemistry, genetics, physical illness, extreme stress, and traumatic experiences. Other conditions may happen alongside this illness (a phenomenon known as comorbid illnesses or comorbidity), such as substance misuse, phobias, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and eating disorders. Having bipolar disorder also raises your risk of having migraines, heart disease, thyroid problems, and diabetes.

Signs you shouldn’t ignore

Here are some distinct signs you or someone you know has bipolar disorder:

• A rise in risk taking: if there is a sudden turn to excessive drinking, gambling, drug use, or other things this person isn’t known for, it’s a definite sign

• Unusually high energy: in manic episodes, people with this problem seem extremely wired, and will be hard to pin down to do anything before shifting to something else

• Grandiosity: this is an exaggerated sense of self, where someone feels far more important than they are

• Irritability: becoming irritable or agitated is a common manic sign, leading to arguments and fits of anger

• Deep feelings of hopelessness: this is a depressive sign where they see everything as being bleak and pointless, and need to relieve the emotional pain

• Eating habit changes: depression can also make people lose their appetite

• Complete lack of interest: if someone suddenly loses complete interest in activities they take great pleasure in normally, it can be a sign of this illness

Some of the signs by themselves may not be a direct symptom of bipolar disorder; however, if you or someone you know shows several of these, we encourage you to make an appointment with Edward Macias and Blue Mountain Psychiatry today.