Tips to Identify Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

Are you trying to determine whether or not you are bipolar? Maybe you've struggled with being deeply depressed off and on for most of your life, or maybe sometimes you feel great and then suddenly feel like you're in a deep emotional pit. Or maybe you've gone for a long time and just felt fine and stable, but suddenly you have so much energy and impulsiveness that you go out and spend a lot of money, have brief sexual encounters with people you may not even know, or start a business on a whim with no real plan. One thing that is certainly true with bipolar disorder is that it puts its victims on an emotional roller coaster ride of symptoms. Up high and then back to low and then high to somewhere in the middle again, and then back down. Well that's only fun...if you're on a real roller coaster. To have to work through these emotional symptoms that can occur in any sequence and over any given period of time can be frightening and catch one by surprise...yes...just like a real roller coaster. A person can experience all of these highs and lows over a period of a few years, one year, one month, a week, or even experience all of these extreme levels of emotion in one day. This particular situation is often referred to as rapid-cycling bipolar disorder. But without getting too much into the various levels of bipolar diagnosis, let's look at the basics and just simply plan to see your doctor if you exhibit two or more of the following symptoms.

• find that your moods change rapidly or swing to extreme highs and lows
• feel excess energy with irritability and aggressiveness
• feel your thoughts racing during conversation and display excessive talking and interrupting
• have insomnia
• feel like the everyone around you is moving or talking too slow
• have grandiose ideas or an inflated sense of self
• are shopping and spending a lot of money, more than you have, with no control
• have trouble concentrating or finishing important tasks
• suddenly feel extremely depressed or suicidal
• lack motivation and desire to carry out basic daily activities
• are sleeping excessively
• are eating excessively
• have feelings of sadness, worthlessness or guilt
• experience panic attacks on a regular basis
• feel paranoid or find that you do not trust others

Even just one of these symptoms warrant a visit to your Doctor. It's important to list all of your symptoms because bipolar disorder is often misdiagnosed as depression only, or generalized anxiety disorder, or even ADHD. The right diagnosis puts you on the right medication and that you brings you ever so close to gaining some stability and control over your life. Recognize that you are worth fighting for!