A Deeper Understanding On The Characteristics Of Bipolar Disorder

The manic-depressive psychiatric condition of bipolar disorder is one of its main characteristics. Bipolar people experience tremendous mood swings, f...


The manic-depressive psychiatric condition of bipolar disorder is one of its main characteristics. Bipolar people experience tremendous mood swings, from deliriously happy then a sudden shift to extreme melancholy. The sudden changes affects the energy level and as a result so does the level of activity. Bipolar disorder is such a debilitating condition that people who have it are unable to go through everyday tasks. This article will discuss a few more characteristics of bipolar disorder.

People who have bipolar disorder experience two distinct mood episodes. The manic episode is when the person is overly joyful while the depressive episode is when the person is extremely sad. Such characteristics of bipolar disorder make it very different from the usual mood swings that are experienced by anyone who doesn’t have the condition. There are even times of “mixed state”, it is an episode of combined symptoms of mania and depression.

The common traits or characteristics of a person with bipolar disorder in a manic episode are talking very quickly, getting easily distracted, being restless, decreased sleeping time, impulsive and high-risk behavior, having an exaggerated belief in one’s own abilities, and preference of taking goal-oriented activities. If in a depressive state, the bipolar person tends to be lethargic, experience melancholy thoughts, seems to be detached from the every day world and even contemplates suicide.

Your various daily activities can be severely affected by unstable emotions. Sudden changes in activity, sleep, behavior and energy are manifestations of the characteristics of bipolar disorder. And thus, the consequence is the person cannot cope properly at school, work or even at home.

The characteristics of bipolar disorder can be experienced differently by a person as one can go through a long period of unstable moods while others suffer distinct episodes of mania and depression. A bipolar person can be experiencing an episode if he or she is manifesting manic or depressive symptoms every day for two weeks.

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