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Last Updated: Oct 23, 2019
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Bipolar Disorder
Dr. Ajay NihalaniPsychiatrist • 27 Years Exp.Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, United Kingdom (MRC Psych), MD - Psychiatry, MBBS
What is bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a condition in which your mood can swing very high, or very low, for weeks or months. It used to be called manic depression.
Your mood can be:
Low with intense depression and despair high or ‘manic’ with elation, over-activity or anger a'mixed state' with symptoms of depression and mania.
Bipolar disorder is less common than depression. It affects about 1 person in a 100.
What causes bipolar disorder?
It seems to run in families, so genes are involved. Genetic causes are less common in the elderly. There may be a physical problem with the brain systems which control mood. Stress can trigger episodes.
How does it feel to have bipolar disorder?
- Depression
- Feelings of unhappiness that don't go away
- Agitation and restlessness
- Loss of self-confidence
- Feeling useless, inadequate and hopeless
- Thoughts of suicide
- Not able to think positively or hopefully
- Can't make decisions
- Can't concentrate, lose interest
- Can't eat, lose weight
- Can't sleep properly, wake early in the morning
- Go off sex
- Avoid other people
- Mania
- Very happy and excited
- Feel more important than usual
- Full of new and exciting ideas
- Move quickly from one idea to another
- Full of energy
- Don't want to sleep
- More interested in sex
- Make unrealistic plans
- Very overactive, talking quickly irritable with other people who can't go along with your mood and ideas
- Spending more money