Bipolar Symptoms

But the word “bipolar”, of course, does not explain everything, and this is particularly true for women having problems with hormonal changes. For example, one woman had a hysterectomy because of severe bleeding, then had to go on hormone replacement therapy. After a couple of months she completely “lost it”. She became convinced that she had to move far, far away and take up missionary work – to the alarm of her concerned family. Read the rest of this entry »

One bipolar symptom is hypomania. It is a mood state wherein the patient experiences relentless and pervading elation or irritability. This bipolar symptom is differentiated from mania by the absence of psychosis-related symptoms and the lower level of impact on functioning. Some mood disorders like bipolar II disorder and cyclothymia are characterized by hypomania. Cyclothymia is a condition of persistent mood fluctuations between hypomania and clinical depression of lower intensity than would be expected in bipolar disorder. and sometimes interspersed with periods of normal moods. Read the rest of this entry »

According to the National Mental Health Association, 30%-70% of suicide victims have suffered from a form of depression. Men contribute to 75% of suicides, even though twice as many women attempt it. Risk for suicide appears to be higher earlier in the course of the depression. Hence recognizing bipolar disorder early and learning how to manage it, is key to decreasing the risk of suicide by patients. Read the rest of this entry »