A person may have bipolar disorder even if their symptoms are less extreme. For example, some people with bipolar II disorder experience hypomania, a less severe form of mania. During a hypomanic episode, a person may feel very good, be able to get things done, and keep up with day-to-day life.
There are many different symptoms -- and several different types -- of bipolar disorder. The primary symptoms are dramatic and unpredictable mood swings. The types of bipolar disorder range from mild to severe.
Cyclothymia (cyclothymic disorder) is a milder form of bipolar disorder involving frequent mood swings of hypomanic and mild depressive episodes. It's manageable with talk therapy and medication, but many people with cyclothymia don't think they need treatment.
Bipolar II disorder is a type of bipolar disorder in which people experience depressive episodes as well as hypomanic episodes (shifting back and forth), but never mania.
In short, bipolar disorder may sound like a serious diagnosis, but with the right tools, supports and a commitment to be healthy, it is manageable for many. Not only can you live a normal life with bipolar disorder, you can lead a full and rewarding life.
Bipolar disorder can arrest a person's emotional maturity and produce behavior that appears very childish and reckless. Please remember, however, that while someone who has bipolar may act like a child, there is an adult underneath.
The severity of elated phases never reaches level of manic or manic mixed states, and remains at clinical or sub- threshold hypomanic level. Patients with soft bipolarity are often referred to as "pseudo-unipolar depression", and may go undetected for years.
Not everyone with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder experiences psychosis, but some people do. It's more common during manic episodes, but can also happen during depressive episodes. These kinds of experiences can feel very real to you at the time, which may make it hard to understand other people's concerns about you.
being easily distracted. being easily irritated or agitated. being delusional, having hallucinations and disturbed or illogical thinking. not feeling like sleeping.
Bipolar disorder and BPD share many common characteristics, and the most crucial overlapping feature is mood instability [5]. About 20% of bipolar II patients and 10% of bipolar I patients have comorbid BPD, and there is a robust relationship between BPD and bipolar disorder II [6].
With proper treatment, along with support and self-care, people with bipolar disorder can live healthy, fulfilling lives.
Cyclothymia symptoms are similar to those of bipolar I or II disorder, but they're less severe. When you have cyclothymia, you can typically function in your daily life, though not always well.
Cyclothymia, or cyclothymic disorder, causes mood changes – from feeling low to emotional highs. Cyclothymia has many similarities to bipolar disorder.
Some mental health experts have described bipolar disorder as a spectrum disorder. This is because it can involve moods at both ends of the spectrum with individuals experiencing both very high and very low moods. The very high moods are known as mania, and the very low moods are classified as depression.
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 is one of the most frequently misdiagnosed mental health issues. Somewhere between 1.4 and 6.4 percent of people worldwide are affected by bipolar disorder. However, it's hard to say which number is more accurate due to the frequency of wrongful diagnosis.
It's common in children and adolescents, but it usually doesn't get diagnosed until adulthood—it can take up to ten years from the time a person experiences symptoms to the time they actually get diagnosed! So no, not everyone who has bipolar disorder knows they have it.
One study published in the journal Bipolar Disorders involving more than 500 people found that those with bipolar (either type I or II) are more likely to be argumentative, feel hostile toward others, have hot tempers, and act out than those without the disorder, especially during a mood episode.
Psychologists define euthymia as a 'normal' and calm mental state. For people with bipolar disorder, it describes a stable mood that's neither manic or depressive.
Cyclothymic disorder is a milder form of bipolar disorder involving many "mood swings," with hypomania and depressive symptoms that occur frequently. People with cyclothymia experience emotional ups and downs but with less severe symptoms than bipolar I or II disorder.
The Relationship Between Bipolar Disorder & Anger. Bipolar disorder is characterized by frequent mood cycles, fluxing between mania and depression. While anger isn't always present, people with this frustrating condition may find they quickly experience angry outbursts when they feel agitated, irritated, or annoyed.
Symptoms of a manic episode may include a heightened sense of self-importance and grandiosity. These also feature in narcissistic disorder. Narcissism is not a symptom of bipolar disorder, and most people with bipolar disorder do not have narcissistic personality disorder.
Does bipolar disorder affect intelligence? No, bipolar disorder doesn't seem to impact your intelligence, but it can affect some aspects of your cognition. As the table above explains, there's a difference between cognition and intelligence. They're related, though.