Bipolar Disorder – Manic Depression Symptoms

Currently known as bipolar disorder (because of the different opposing poles of mood swings), manic depression is a mood disorder, or an affective disorder characterized by dramatic mood swings.

What are the main manic depression symptoms? The mood swings associated with a manic depressive disorder alternate from extreme lows, called depression, to abnormal highs, called mania. It is a serious condition that causes sleeplessness, hallucinations, psychosis, delusions, grandiose and paranoid range. Moods associated with it usually alternate from clinical or major depression, to extreme elation or mania. These mood swings can either be mild or extreme. They can also occur suddenly within a small time frame, or they can occur gradually over time.

A person suffering from manic depression may have thinking disturbances along with those dramatic mood swings. Impairment of social functioning as well as distortions of perception is also a common sign.

Here are the main symptoms of manic depression or bipolar disorder:

A person with manic depression will exhibit a reduced appetite, or alternatively, a very high appetite. This person may also add or loose weight rapidly. Fatigue and decreased energy may also be signs of manic depression, with a general slowing down of the person while taking on the daily tasks. Most patients will also have difficulties concentrating on whatever they are doing, with very lowered memory and decision making processes.

Manic depressive disorder symptoms include a tendency to either oversleep or stay awake without sleeping (insomnia), with some people waking up very early in the morning and not managing to get back to sleep. These persons are also persistently sad, anxious and with very empty moods (feeling of emptiness). This is coupled by restlessness and irritability, with loss of interest in what they once had a passion or interest in, including sex.

Manic depression symptoms in adults also include feelings of guilt, helplessness and worthlessness, with a lot of hopelessness about things ever getting better. Most will be very pessimistic, to the extent of having suicidal thoughts, or even attempts at suicide. The patients also experience a lot of physical symptoms that are persistent and never seem to respond to treatment, such as digestive disorders, headaches, and chronic pains.

The manic episodes of manic depression exhibit quite some different and opposite symptoms from those of the depression phases. These symptoms include increased energy, which in turn leads to restlessness and a lot of activity. The manic patient becomes extremely irritable, with a very provocative and aggressive behavior. This person becomes very intrusive and with very poor judgment.

In the manic phase, patients also tend to deny that there is something wrong with them or what they are doing. Such people become very hard to convince to seek medical attention if they have not started already. These persons cannot concentrate on anything and are easily distracted. The levels of concentration are so low that even sleeping is a problem, with very little need for sleep.

A common symptom of mania is the unrealistic belief in one’s powers and abilities, with accompanying racing thoughts and fast talk. A manic person tends to quickly jump from one idea to another, without even concluding on the previous idea. One also remains in a very high euphoric mood, and a general “good” feeling which is extremely exaggerated.

Due to the extremely increased energies, a manic depressed person tends to get in to drug abuse more easily. The most common drugs most of these patients may abuse include cocaine, alcohol and also sleeping medications, especially due to lack of sleep. These persons also tend to have lasting periods of different than usual behavior, including going on regular spending sprees, even when they do not have a lot of money. Most of them also get increased sexual drives.

Good to note is that a depression episode is deemed manic if elevated moods are diagnosed, with three or more other symptoms most of the day and nearly every day. This should happen for at least one week or longer. Some four other symptoms must be present if the mood is irritable. These include most manic depression symptoms discussed earlier.

Just like with most other types of depression, this disorder can be managed with a combination of mood swings stabilization and the proper treatment of the related symptoms. Remember that a depressed person should be taken good care of, and treated as humanly as possible. Showing affection to these patients helps alleviate the many symptoms of manic depression that they have.