Although bipolar disorder can occur at any age, typically it's diagnosed in the teenage years or early 20s. Symptoms can vary from person to person, and symptoms may vary over time.
Bipolar disorder is most often identified in young adults, but it can occur in teenagers. It's rare but possible in younger children. It can cause extreme mood swings from emotional highs, called mania or hypomania, to serious depression.
Grandiosity and overconfidence. Easy tearfulness, frequent sadness. Needing little sleep to feel rested. Uncharacteristic impulsive behavior.
What are the symptoms of bipolar disorder? Mood episodes in bipolar disorder include intense emotions and significant changes in sleep habits, activity levels, thoughts, or behaviors. Children and teens with bipolar disorder may have manic episodes, depressive episodes, or “mixed” episodes.
If one parent has bipolar disorder, there's a 10% chance that their child will develop the illness. If both parents have bipolar disorder, the likelihood of their child developing bipolar disorder rises to 40%.
A history of severe emotional trauma such as physical or sexual abuse can lead to mood swings, emotional outbursts, hallucinations, and extremely severe behavioral problems, including sexualized behaviors that can resemble bipolar disorder.
The illness usually starts with depression rather than mania, so even when mania is detected accurately, the onset of bipolar disorder may be missed.
To diagnose bipolar disorder, a doctor performs a physical exam, asks about your symptoms, and recommends blood testing to determine if another condition, such as hypothyroidism, is causing your symptoms. If the doctor does not find an underlying cause of your symptoms, he or she performs a psychological evaluation.
Bipolar disorder can cause your mood to swing from an extreme high to an extreme low. Manic symptoms can include increased energy, excitement, impulsive behaviour, and agitation. Depressive symptoms can include lack of energy, feeling worthless, low self-esteem and suicidal thoughts.
The phrase “bipolar meltdown” could refer to a bipolar person having a manic episode or being in a depressed state. These conditions could cause them to lose control of their emotions and have trouble managing them.
Speech Disruptions. Speech disruptions are probably the easiest way to recognize a manic episode. A person may be described as having a "motor mouth" and be difficult or even impossible to interrupt.
Both disorders can cause issues with focus and trouble sleeping. The main difference is that in bipolar disorder, these symptoms come and go after weeks or months. In ADHD, they are present all or most of the time. But because the signs are so similar, kids may end up with the wrong diagnosis.
Bipolar disorder can be confused with other conditions, such as depression, schizophrenia, BPD, anxiety, and ADHD. Detecting and diagnosing bipolar disorder may take some time. But getting a correct, early diagnosis often results in better outcomes.
How are bipolar disorder mania and anxiety similar? Experiences of mania and anxiety can feel similar. An episode of mania and anxiety can share symptoms like trouble with sleep, racing thoughts, agitation, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating.
Diagnosing bipolar disorder usually involves a thorough examination of your physical health. This is to rule out a physical cause or other health concerns. It also involves an assessment of your mental state and the careful assessment of your symptoms and life experiences.
But treatment ought to commence immediately, making an early diagnosis extremely necessary. Thanks to the research team, bipolar disorder can now be diagnosed with utmost accuracy through a blood test.
High levels of stress. Changes in sleep patterns or lack of sleep. Using recreational drugs or alcohol. Seasonal changes – for example, some people are more likely to experience hypomania and mania in spring.
People with bipolar disorder who experience psychosis are more likely to experience problems with verbal-declarative memory and spatial working memory, compared with those who do not have psychosis. This can make it hard to recall and retell events and stories from the past.
When people have low moods, they may be sad and cry a lot. They might also feel impatient and irritable and get more angry than usual. A parent in a low mood might not want to do things with the family like playing, talking or driving them places. They may get tired more easily and spend a lot of time in bed.
Bipolar children are more likely to have rapid cycling, moving back and forth between a depressed mood and a manic mood over a shorter period of time or even within the same day.
Bipolar disorder can appear in any gender, at any age. It usually starts in your teens or 20s. Often women first have a depressive episode (or multiple) as an adult — before they have a manic (or hypomanic) episode. This is different from men, who are more likely to have a manic episode in childhood.