Overview. Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression).
The depressive phase of bipolar disorder is often very severe, and suicide is a major risk factor. In fact, people suffering from bipolar disorder are more likely to attempt suicide than those suffering from regular depression. Furthermore, their suicide attempts tend to be more lethal.
A manic breakdown or episode is an emotional state where an elevated or irritable mood exists for at least one week. The symptoms can disrupt your daily life and relationships. While manic episodes are not a disorder in themselves, they may be a symptom of bipolar and should be taken seriously.
production of serotonin – serotonin is a hormone that affects your mood, appetite and sleep; a lack of sunlight may lead to lower serotonin levels, which is linked to feelings of depression.
Biologically, there may be a reason women cry more than men: Testosterone may inhibit crying, while the hormone prolactin (seen in higher levels in women) may promote it. But a desire to cry is not all nature.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that mediated satisfaction, happiness and optimism. Serotonin levels are reduced in depression, and most modern anti-depressant drugs, known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), act by increasing the amount of serotonin available to brain cells.
After a manic or hypomanic episode you might: Feel very unhappy or ashamed about how you behaved. Have made commitments or taken on responsibilities that now feel unmanageable. Have only a few clear memories of what happened during your episode, or none at all.
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.
Stress chemicals build up in your body and crying can actually help your body get rid of them. So it seems natural that with bipolar disorder, our sensitivity to stress alone could cause more frequent sob-fests.
People with bipolar disorder have extreme highs and lows. Along with these unpredictable mood swings may come outbursts of emotion, including crying.
Also, bipolar disorder features more phases than does major depressive disorder, including mania, hypomania and depression. But in terms of severity, neither disorder is worse, or better, than the other.
In patients with bipolar disorder, admissions for manic and depressive episodes frequently follow a seasonal pattern with the peaks during either autumn or winter, or autumn and spring [3,4].
A stressful circumstance or situation often triggers the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Examples of stressful triggers include: the breakdown of a relationship. physical, sexual or emotional abuse.
Although symptoms may come and go, bipolar disorder usually requires lifelong treatment and does not go away on its own. Bipolar disorder can be an important factor in suicide, job loss, ability to function, and family discord. However, proper treatment can lead to better functioning and improved quality of life.
Left untreated, bipolar disorder can result in serious problems that affect every area of your life, such as: Problems related to drug and alcohol use. Suicide or suicide attempts. Legal or financial problems.
A bipolar person may avoid relationships because they don't feel good enough for other people. Sometimes these feelings come on quickly and cause those with mental health conditions to push away others in existing relationships. This can lead to social isolation.
During a manic episode, people with bipolar disorder can have what's called a bipolar blackout. During a blackout, the individual is not aware of their surroundings or actions and has trouble remembering them afterward. This can make interacting with someone in a blackout very frustrating, but it doesn't have to be.
Mania in particular tends to trigger aggressive emotions and anger. The racing thoughts and high energy levels you experience can leave you feeling angry, irritable, and frustrated. Those angry emotions, in turn, can cause aggressive and inappropriate behaviors.
For people who deal with bipolar disorder, emotions can be far more intense than they might otherwise be, or else you might even feel a complete lack of emotion, at all, in instances when you would usually feel resonance.
During mania, you may feel very happy and full of energy, with racing thoughts and feeling a decreased need for sleep. Then you can suddenly shift into depression, where you feel very sad and hopeless with little energy. Fatigue can come during both mania and depression. It's more than being sleepy.
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.
NEXT time a sentimental movie makes you cry, blame your serotonin levels. Differences in the neurotransmitter might explain why some people are more prone to crying in emotional situations than others.
Dopamine and serotonin are molecules that send signals throughout the body; these chemicals affect how we feel. When dopamine is released in our brain, we feel a sense of temporary pleasure. Serotonin, while similar to dopamine, creates a long-lasting feeling of happiness or well-being.
A dopamine imbalance can cause depression symptoms, such as apathy and feelings of hopelessness, while a serotonin imbalance can affect the processing of emotions.