Some people do not take bipolar disorder seriously. They don’t understand that this is actually a very real and very complicated condition. But recognizing and starting to treat it is important both for the patient and for those around him to be able to live a happy life.
It is important to be clearly aware of the signs of this disease in order to identify it in our loved ones or even in ourselves. Once diagnosed, bipolar disorder can be controlled.
First of all, it is important to understand that this disorder is a psychological disorder, not a choice or lifestyle. Nor is bipolar disorder a split personality. These are completely different diseases.
Bipolar people have no difficulty with self-identification, but their mood swings are so sharp that a person’s behavior can go from one extreme to another.
How to diagnose bipolar disorder
To diagnose it, a professional must evaluate the patient over a long period. Although there is no cure for this disease, it can be treated by changing a person’s daily activities. General recommendations:
- regular exercises
- psychological help
- yoga or other relaxation
In addition, the support of people who understand and care for the patient is needed. The environment plays a major role in healing.
The behavior of a person with bipolar disorder
1. Sudden mood swings
Such changes can be caused by very simple factors that may seem insignificant to a more mentally stable person.
A person with bipolar disorder may also spend long periods in a certain mood, whether stable, depressed, or manic. But these mood swings aren’t necessarily tied to specific situations or predictable patterns.
Sometimes they feel fantastic for quite a while. They feel so full of energy that they don’t feel the need to sleep.
They can go days without sleep while being unfocused and irritable. This is the phase of mania, which consists of extremes in behavior: high sexual desire, excess energy, and even aggression.
2. Sadness
A person with bipolar disorder feels very depressed. This causes anxiety, sadness, pessimism, and a strong sense of disappointment. A person also completely loses interest in everything, including the things enjoyed during the manic phase.
A person with this disorder is very upset because of not understand the cause of his deep depression. This can lead to suicidal thoughts.
3. Psychotic features
A psychotic person may misinterpret what is happening around them. If psychosis is severe, patients may even have hallucinations.
4. Hypomania
A person with bipolar disorder may have symptoms of hypomania. Hypomania is a long period of elevated mood. A person can also be irritable, which is different from their normal mood. Lasts at least 4 or 5 days.
Hypomania can also cause high self-esteem or megalomania. A person may start talking much more than usual.
In general, it is important to keep in mind that a person with bipolar personality disorder goes through very intense unusual mood swings.
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