Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness characterized by recurrent episodes of depression, mania, and/or mixed symptom states. These episodes cause unusual and extreme shifts in mood, energy, and behavior that interfere significantly with normal, healthy functioning.
Manic symptoms include:
Severe changes in mood, either extremely irritable or overly silly and elated
Overly-inflated self-esteem; grandiosity
Increased energy
Decreased need for sleep, ability to go with very little or no sleep for days without tiring
Increased talking, talks too much, too fast; changes topics too quickly; cannot be interrupted
Distractibility, attention moves constantly from one thing to the next
Hypersexuality, increased sexual thoughts, feelings, or behaviors; use of explicit sexual language
Increased goal-directed activity or physical agitation
Disregard of risk, excessive involvement in risky behaviors or activities
Depressive symptoms include:
Persistent sad or irritable mood
Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
Significant change in appetite or body weight
Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping
Physical agitation or slowing
Loss of energy
Feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
Difficulty concentrating
Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
– Courtesy of National Institute of Mental Health
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