You understand that as a human being, you are entitled to different emotions. You can get angry when you arrive a minute late for work, and you can feel sad whenever your friend moves away to a new city. However, the people around you have started commenting on how erratic your emotions are most of the time. They do not understand the reason why you are behaving in a certain way, especially if the situation does not call for it. Most of them already feel scared because they can no longer predict what you will say or do next. Because of these, you start to think if you have bipolar disorder. You have heard about this through the media countless of times, and you know, suffering from one is not impossible.
What Is Bipolar Disorder?
Generally speaking, bipolar disorder is a brain disorder which causes unusual shifts in activity levels, mood, and energy. One day, you might be a very outgoing person and then the next, you do not even have the interest to go out and meet with your friends. Bipolar disorder is also called manic depression, and when you are in a mania, you tend to behave or feel happy, energetic or irritable than you usually are. Moreover, when you are at the peak of your emotions, chances are, you’ll end up making poor decisions, which can adversely affect you in the long run.
Contrary to popular belief, suffering from bipolar disorder is never easy and it is not something you can easily “get over”. For one, your relationships with your friends, family and even colleagues will be affected as well. If these people can no longer comprehend the sudden changes of your emotions (as most of these changes are inappropriate to the situation you are in), you might be facing this mental disorder alone – and this will be bad news for your long-term recovery.
What Are The Signs Of Bipolar Disorder?
Before you come up with a conclusion, it is best if you know what the signs of bipolar disorder are. Just because your mood changes faster than your friends, does not mean you have bipolar disorder. Keep in mind that every individual has different tolerance levels when faced with different situations – and this can contribute to mood swings. To help you determine if you have bipolar disorder, watch out for the following signs:
- You have a great mood: People suffering from bipolar disorder does not always have to feel depressed and lock themselves in their room. Some feel so great to the point that they already experience euphoria. This is the “up” side of the disorder. You are too happy most of the time that you tend to lose your grip on reality. And while some people enjoy this emotion while it lasts, extended periods of euphoria especially without reason can bring harm to a person’s well-being.
- You do not have the ability to complete a single task: Consider all the unfinished tasks in your home or office. Have you finished completing a presentation assigned last week? Or have you finally got the time to do that DIY bookshelf in your living room? If you have noticed unfinished tasks – tasks that are too simple and can be done in one sitting – you might have bipolar disorder. People suffering from this kind of disorder have all the energy to start a certain project, but since they are mood changes now and then, they will lose the interest to continue what they are doing. This will end up with unfinished tasks.
- You are suffering depression: When you have bipolar disorder, you would feel depressed most of the time. You would feel sad even if there were no valid reason for a longer period. You do not know how to cope with grief and loss, for example, that is why you end up feeling blue. You will also lose the interest to do the activities, which you usually enjoy, and you would experience inconsistencies in your appetite and sleep. And while depression can be treated with medication, depression that’s linked to bipolar disorder doesn’t go away with medication. Antidepressant pills can send a person to a mania, worsening their disorder.
- You are always irritable around people: Everyone in this world has their fair share of bad days – and for sure, you have had one of them. However, for people who have bipolar disorder, they often experience symptoms of mania and depression at the same time, which can result in being extremely irritable. Even if their colleagues at work did not do anything to them for example, people with bipolar disorder would still be annoyed. They will realize that their irritability gets in the way yet, they do not know what to do about it.
- You have a lot of problems at work: And no, this isn’t about how much you’re receiving every month. People with this disorder have problems at work because symptoms are so intense that it already interferes with their performance and how they deal with their colleagues. In addition to not being able to complete simple tasks, people with bipolar disorder will also have an inflated ego (when they’re in their “up” stage in a mania) and depression which can result in mood problems. When you are working, you need to have a harmonious relationship with everyone you meet and having bipolar disorder can hinder you from doing just that.
- You cannot live without alcohol or drugs: When you are feeling too sad, it is typical to look for avenues so you can feel better. And most of the time, these avenues are in the form of alcohol or drug consumption. When you are too depressed too often, you will end up reaching for drugs and alcohol. This will also be one way of slowing a manic phase whenever you are in one.
- You have sleeping problems: People with bipolar disorder have erratic behavior, and this includes their sleeping patterns. For example, if a person is too depressed all the time because of this disorder, they can sleep for longer hours and still feel tired the moment they wake up. They use sleep as a remedy for their depression that is why they sleep longer than usual. Also, if they are in the period of their mania, people will lose sleep but will still have the energy to continue with their daily activities.
If you have ticked at least one of these, it is a telltale sign that you are suffering from bipolar disorder. And while you can always have the option to handle this battle by yourself, it’s always best if you seek help from professionals. These people have been in the industry for years, and once you work with them, you can guarantee that your problems are handled professionally. Endeavour Wellness, for instance, have years of experience in providing counseling to their clients who are also suffering from bipolar disorder.
In Conclusion
Having a bipolar disorder is not easy – your mood changes too often that you no longer understand what is going on and this can affect your relationship in the long run. You eventually change into a different person if this disorder is not treated as soon as possible. But you don’t have to worry though because all is not lost. Use the information in this article to determine if you have bipolar disorder. Remember that there are still many ways on how you can get through this mental disorder and admitting the fact that you are suffering from one is the first step towards recovery.
Your life can continue even if you have bipolar disorder. If you know how and where to seek help as soon as possible, you can still function as an individual in the years to come!
