We all have good days and bad days. Sometimes we can experience frequent mood swings as well due to something we’re going through in life. But when it starts getting severe, that’s when we might need to take it seriously. Bipolar Disorder is a condition related to our brain that is characterized by severe changes in mood, everyday activities of a person and their energy levels through the day. The condition is also known as manic-depressive disorder. It is not to say that you’re going crazy, but mental health is something extremely important that most of us tend to ignore and pay less attention to. However, like any other disease of our body, it can have negative impacts on our health and lives. In most people, it can last for 2 weeks or more where the day to day tasks become a challenge for the patient suffering from it.
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Therefore, it’s extremely important that we take it seriously as the condition can worsen with time if left unattended. The patient typically suffers from behavioral changes, fluctuating between two extreme behaviors like two different people are living within the same body. The behavior changes are so intense that it often shatters a person’s ability to function well, and ability to handle life at it’s simplest. The patient may start taking impulsive decisions that he would later regret. He may experience fatigue and exhaustion all the time, difficulty in focusing, hopelessness, thinking bad about himself and spending the entire day on the bed due to depression.
Here are some of the most common conditions that could indicate the possibility of a bipolar disorder :
- Losing sense of pleasure
Bipolar disorder can create conditions for a patient in which the patient is no longer able to feel pleasure in a number of pleasurable things. The patient may lose interest in bed, partying, and their social life may get affected. They start caring less about little things in life that give pleasure or celebrating anything. They start feeling lifeless. - Reduced Mental abilities
Their mental abilities can reduce in several ways, including difficulty in focusing and paying attention, concentrating on a single task and getting distracted easily. Their cognitive abilities may also reduce as a consequence and they may experience racing thoughts and problems related to overthinking. Memory problems are also common in patients with bipolar disorder, and they may feel mentally sluggish. - Changed eating habits
Eating habits and appetite are changed in bipolar disorder. As they lose interest in little things in life, they also lose interest in eating and finding pleasure in eating their favorite delicious foods. This can result in drastic weight loss as well. - Fear of death and disease
They may start fearing death and feel like a life-threatening disease might attack them in near future which will kill them. This causes a lot of anxiety and possibly worsen their health more making them belief on it more firmly. - Sleeplessness
Sleep is directly affected when our mental health is not up to the mark, and it can be considered as a very important sign. The patients may find it difficult to fall asleep and end up spending hours on the bed trying to sleep with no results. Some patients can also feel rested and energized only after sleeping for a couple of hours when our body requires 7 to 8 hours of sleep every day. - Mood Swings
Mood swings are a common issue with many people and mostly it’s not a bipolar problem. However, it can be a strong symptom of it. unusual mood swings which cause a hysterical feeling of happiness suddenly followed by sadness and emptiness. They may experience irritability as feel as the feeling of guilt and worthlessness. - Suicidal tendencies
Suicidal tendencies are something really serious and something to worry about. Bipolar patients may frequently find themselves thinking about death and feeling hopeless to a point where they think about killing themselves to find an escape from their feelings. - Unrealistic optimism
While optimism is good and necessary for us to thrive and excel, people suffering from bipolar disorder can experience another level of optimism which could be a significant indication of the disorder. They may start overestimating their powers and feel unusually elated. - Impulsiveness
They may experience impulsive behavior in speaking, judging and decision making. Some patients may start talking too fast or walking too fast.
Conclusion
If these symptoms are noticeable there is no need to wait any longer and immediate help should be requested. Don’t hesitate to tell anyone about how you feel. Some people may listen to you and say that it’s normal and you’re absolutely okay, you just need a break, you’re thinking too much, get over it or things like that. However, they would say that because they don’t know anything about how you feel. Avoid such people and try not to listen to such remarks. If you feel there is something wrong, get help. There are now a number of online services and which provide assistance of speaking or chatting with trained and supportive people who can help you figure out and solve your problems. Get help from them and consider seeing a psychiatrist.
Disclaimer
Please note that individual results will vary from person to person. All and any information and statements contained in this article are not intended to replace your doctor’s advice or treatment. We do not provide medical advice, prescription, or diagnose illness. Therefore, our views and nutritional statements are not intended to replace your doctor’s medical advice. If you have a health concern or condition, see your doctor before starting anything on your own.