A Bit Bipolar Are You Acting?

Bipolar disorder is all about highs and lows. Sometimes, you feel like you're the king of the world. Other times, you feel like you're the grime on the boots of the king of the world. The way that a bipolar person behaves varies between the disorders various stages.

Bipolar behavior is usually characterized with emotional inconsistency not seen since PMS. In any case, two particular stages of bipolar disorder happen the longest, and they're called mania and depression. Hypomania (either a burst of pure excitement and elation or, more rarer, a blunted feeling of apathy), also occurs, but is usually short-lived. During this time, the bipolar person is in his best behavior.

During the state of mania, a distinct period of an elevated, expansive or irritable mood state occurs. People commonly experience an increase in energy and a decreased need for sleep. Attention span is low and a person in a manic state may be easily distracted, doing all sorts of activities to while his time and excess of inexhaustible energy.

After this string of manic activity, the person burns out. Afterwards, the state of depression rears its ugly head. Signs and symptoms of the depressive phase of bipolar disorder include loneliness, self-loathing, apathy or indifference and depersonalization.

In the depressed phase, a person becomes a wallowing recluse. He or she experiences feeling of self-hatred, regret, anger, sadness and any other negative emotion that may arise. These feeling last for longer than the mania.

In severe cases, the individual may become psychotic, a condition also known as severe bipolar depression with psychotic features. Nevertheless, the person usually reverts back to either the manic or hypermanic state. In extreme cases, rapid cycling, defined as having four or more episodes per year, can occur to the bipolar disorder sufferer. Behavior like this should be identified immediately, because it usually leads to suicide if the patient could not take his mood swings any longer.

Article Source: http://www.itempad.com

Why do we sometimes feel a bit Bipolar? Are we just acting a bit Bipolar?