Do you ever feel like you can’t control your emotions? Are you happy one second, and down the next? If you do, you should probably go see a doctor; you might have something called bipolar disorder.

What is Bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a mental health concern that causes huge mood swings. A person with bipolar disorder can go from mania to depression within the span of a couple of days. It is also known as manic depression, which is a clever play on words of the 2 extreme states. There are several types of bipolar disorder:

1. Bipolar I disorder → the appearance of at least 1 manic episode, before or after major depressive or hypomanic episodes. It may cause psychosis. 

2. Bipolar II disorder → the appearance of at least 1 major depressive episode and at least 1 hypomanic episode. However, you have never had a manic episode.

3. Cyclothymia → at least 1 (children) -2 years (adults) of periods of hypomania symptoms and depressive symptoms. Usually they are less severe than major depression. 

4. Other types → bipolar related disorders:

   1. Mania

   2. Hypomania

   3. Depression

caused by:

1. drugs or alcohol

2. A medical condition (ex. Cushing's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke)

What are the symptoms?

Depending on the type you have, the symptoms are different. For mania and hypomania episodes, the episodes include usually 3 or more of the following symptoms:

• More active, energetic or agitated than usual

• Distorted sense of well-being or too self-confident

• Sleeping much less than usual

• Unusually talkative and talking fast

• Racing thoughts / jumping quickly from one topic to another

• Easily distracted

• Making poor decisions

For major depressive episodes, the symptoms are usually more severe, making it harder to do day-to-day activities. An episode usually has 5 or more of these symptoms:

• Depressive mood

• Loss of interest / Feeling no pleasure in activities

• Losing a lot of weight without dieting / overeating and not gaining weight

• Sleeping too little / too much

• Restlessness / slower reaction time

• Tiredness / losing energy

• Feeling worthless / feeling too guilty / feeling guilty when it's not necessary

• Hard time thinking or concentrating / not being able to make decisions

• Thinking about, planning, attempting suicide

What should we do?

Bipolar disorder can severely affect your everyday lives. Episodes of mood swings can occur multiple times a year, with each lasting several days. Keep in mind that this is a life-long condition, and it can affect things like sleep, energy, activity, judgment, behavior and the ability to think clearly. This also not only affects you, but also your family. In order to keep yourself and others healthy, if you have bipolar disorder, make sure to talk to a healthcare professional. They will be able to provide a treatment plan, usually medicine or psychotherapy/talk therapy, to help manage the mood swings and other symptoms. Remember, bipolar disorder doesn't get better on its own. Help is always available, and never be afraid to ask.

Works Cited

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2024, August 14). Bipolar disorder. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355955