Obsessive-compulsive symptoms are common in patients with bipolar disorders.
“People with bipolar disorder often report that there's an obsession of the day or the week, and as one problem gets resolved, it can easily be replaced by another problem,” Hubbard says. “There's something in the brain that needs to ruminate and worry and obsess about different topics.
People with bipolar disorder often experience amplified emotions, and consequently struggle in their inter-personal relations. They can also appear self-absorbed, resistant to reason and don't seem to care how people around them feel.
The maladaptive domain averages the subscales: 9) self-distraction, 10) denial, 11) venting, 12) substance use, 13) behavioral disengagement and 14) self-blame. The B-COPE has been successfully utilized in BD with good psychometric properties (Greenhouse et al., 2000; Fletcher et al., 2013; 2014).
For example, the belief, I am unlovable, may be driving the conditional rule, If I am thin, then I will be loved by others, which may drive obsessive thinking about one's appearance, excessive exercise, or disordered eating habits.
Manipulation isn't a formal symptom of bipolar disorder, although some people with the condition may exhibit this behavior. In some cases, manipulative behavior is a result of living with another mental health condition, such as personality disorders, substance use disorders, or trauma.
Narcissism is not a symptom of bipolar disorder, and most people with bipolar disorder do not have narcissistic personality disorder.
There's weepy, sad, and needy depression—and also irritated, unloving, and restless depression. Get rid of your negativity by treating your mood disorder. Depression can make us weepy, sad, and needy—but did you know it can also make us really irritated, unloving, and restless?
One of the hallmark signs of mania is impaired judgment. This causes you to participate in extremely risky or dangerous behaviors. You do things without even considering the consequences of your actions. Gambling and hypersexuality are some of the risky behaviors linked to manic episodes.
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.
While rumination is usually associated with depression or anxiety, there is evidence that bipolar patients also present exaggerated tendency to ruminate, even during euthymic periods (Ghaznavi and Deckersbach 2012; Pavlickova et al. 2013). In addition, impaired cognitive flexibility (Russo et al.
Bipolar can cause overthinking and overthinking combined with depression and increased sensitivity can be very challenging. When people are not mentally well they can isolate themselves. Social interaction and connection can seem impossible.
Overreacting is a symptom of bipolar disorder,1 but phrases like this minimize the person's experience of this symptom. When supporting a loved one living with a mental health condition like bipolar disorder, it's important that your words demonstrate empathy rather than exasperation.
Some people living with bipolar disorder may have difficulty completing tasks, including personal hygiene and chores. This could lead you to face cluttering, messiness, and disorganization during episodes of both mania or depression.
Bipolar disorder may make it more difficult for you to interpret people's emotions. Missed clues make it harder for you to empathize when others feel happy or sad. If someone is feeling troubled, you may lack enough empathy to be moved to help.
It's common for someone with bipolar disorder to hurt and offend their partner. When someone is first diagnosed, there are often relationship issues that need to be addressed. Couples counseling can help you: Understand that there's an illness involved in the hurtful behavior.
They might be worried about hurting your feelings. Extreme mood fluctuations could make them feel distrustful of others. It's hard for people with bipolar to trust that they're fully supported. They might worry that they'll confide in you, only for you to respond with judgmental comments or frustration.
They are not learning to take responsibility for their own actions and decisions by passing the blame. They are delaying a more honest self-evaluation in which they might realize how their actions worsen their problems.
A person with bipolar disorder may be unaware they're in the manic phase. After the episode is over, they may be shocked at their behaviour. But at the time, they may believe other people are being negative or unhelpful.
“When you're in a hypomanic or manic state, you're also more likely to feel you're in love,” says Haase. “You may then act on that feeling when making major long-term life decisions, not understanding your state had something to do with what you were feeling.”
Alternatively, clinical psychologists have long focused on maladaptive personality traits in their consideration of 10 personality disorders (PDs): paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal, borderline, histrionic, antisocial, narcissistic, avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive.
What Causes Maladaptive Behavior? The causes of maladaptive behaviors vary significantly. They can include personal history, learned behaviors, problematic thinking patterns, and emotional dysregulation issues. Difficulties with anxiety often cause maladaptive behaviors, too.
However, often less considered are the problematic or negative consequences of a diagnostic label. This may include increased psychological distress, preference for invasive treatments, greater sick role behaviour, and restriction of independence (11–14).