Placeholder Content Image

8 bipolar symptoms you might be ignoring

<p><strong>What is bipolar disorder?</strong></p> <p><span>There are two commonly diagnosed types of bipolar disorder, a mental illness characterised by mood swings from emotional highs to lows. People with bipolar I have depression alternating with severely elevated mood, or mania. Bipolar II is much more common, and is marked by less severe manic symptoms, called hypomania. Since the characteristics of bipolar disorder exist along a spectrum ranging from non-existent to extreme, and because good or bad moods can be a result of temporary events or circumstances rather than a mental illness, diagnosis of bipolar disorder can be difficult. These signs will reveal if you’re going through a phase or revealing bipolar symptoms.</span></p> <p><strong>You're downright depressed</strong></p> <p><span>A bipolar person in a depressive state will have the same symptoms as someone who has only depression. “They have the same problems with energy, appetite, sleep, and focus as others who have ‘plain old depression,’” psychiatrist, Dr Don Malone, tells </span><em>Health</em><span>. The period of mania, or elevated mood, that follows the depression is what differentiates a bipolar diagnosis. It’s important to discuss fluctuations in mood with your therapist because the treatment for depression will be different from bipolar disorder treatment. “Antidepressants can be downright dangerous in people with bipolar because they can send them into mania,” says Dr Malone. Signs of depression include: feeling sad or hopeless for long periods of time, withdrawal from family or friends, lack of interest in activities you used to enjoy, significant changes in appetite, lack of energy, slow speech, problems concentrating, and preoccupation with death.</span></p> <p><strong>You can't sleep</strong></p> <p><span>It’s common to have periods of insomnia due to stress or anticipation of something exciting on the horizon. But someone in a manic phase of bipolar disorder will require significantly less sleep than usual (sometimes none at all) for days at a time – and still feel energised. During a depressive phase, a person may sleep for longer than usual. Professor of psychiatry, Dr Carrie Bearden, tells </span><em>Health</em><span> that staying on a regular sleep schedule is one of the first things she recommends for bipolar patients.</span></p> <p><strong>You're in a great mood - a really, really great mood!</strong></p> <p><span>Who wouldn’t love to be in a great mood? And why would anyone see that as a sign of mental illness? “These phases of the disorder may actually be enjoyable to the individual because they allow for increased productivity and creativity that they normally might not experience,” says psychiatrist, Dr Smitha Murthy. But if the mood elevation is extreme, there is no apparent cause for it, it lasts for a week or longer, or it appears in combination with other symptoms, it may be one of your bipolar symptoms. Hypomania, characteristic of bipolar II, may be even harder to differentiate from a generally good mood because the symptoms are milder. Look for a combination of elevated mood with other bipolar symptoms, especially in a repetitive cycle that alternates with depression.</span></p> <p><strong>You get distracted easily</strong></p> <p><span>Trouble concentrating, a tendency to jump from task to task, or being generally unable to finish projects may be attributed to flightiness, stress, or other factors. But if you’re so distracted that you’re unable to get anything done, and it’s interfering with your work or relationships, you might be showing bipolar symptoms, says Dr Murthy.</span></p> <p><strong>You're unusually irritable</strong></p> <p><span>“This is one of the trickiest symptoms to recognise since it’s a natural reaction to frustration or unfairness,” says Dr James Phelps. Getting upset that someone cut you off on the highway, for example, is pretty normal. “Anger out of proportion to the situation, rising too fast, getting out of control, lasting for hours, and shifting from one person to another, would differentiate the behaviour as a possible bipolar symptom,” he says.</span></p> <p><strong>You talk - and think - fast</strong></p> <p><span>A “chatty Cathy” is not abnormal, says Dr Phelps. “But talking so fast that others can’t keep up or understand – especially in phases with other bipolar symptoms, may be hypomania,” he adds. Someone in a manic state may not even let another person get a word in. This type of rapid speech is especially concerning if a person doesn’t speak this way typically. Similarly, racing thoughts or ideas that come so quickly that others – and even you yourself – may not be able to keep up may be indicative of mania.</span></p> <p><strong>You're extremely confident - but don't make good decisions</strong></p> <p><span>Normally, high self-esteem is a good thing. In a person with bipolar disorder, excessive confidence could lead to poor decisions. “They feel grandiose and don’t consider consequences; everything sounds good to them,” Dr Malone told Health. This may lead to taking risks and engaging in erratic behaviour you ordinarily wouldn’t attempt, like having an affair or spending thousands of dollars you can’t afford to spend.</span></p> <p><strong>Drug and alcohol use</strong></p> <p><span>“People with bipolar disorder have a higher than average rate of a co-occurring substance or alcohol use,” says Dr Murthy. They may try to calm themselves with alcohol or drugs during a manic phase, or use them to cheer up during a depression.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Written by Ilisa Cohen. This article first appeared in </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/8-bipolar-symptoms-you-might-be-ignoring" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reader’s Digest</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </span><a rel="noopener" href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=articles&amp;utm_campaign=RDSUB&amp;keycode=WRA87V" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here’s our best subscription offer.</span></a></em></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p> <p><img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" /></p>

Mind

Placeholder Content Image

"I didn’t want to believe it”: Mariah Carey reveals mental illness diagnosis

<p>Mariah Carey has revealed for the first time her private battle with bipolar disorder.</p> <p>In a <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://people.com/music/mariah-carey-bipolar-disorder-diagnosis-exclusive/" target="_blank">People</a> </strong></em></span>cover story interview published this week, the 48-year-old pop star said she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2001, during her much publicised physical and mental breakdown.</p> <p>"I didn’t want to believe it," Carey said of that dark time, which included splitting form her -husband Nick Cannon and panned E! reality series.</p> <p>It was not until recently the singer-songwriter sought treatment, after "the hardest couple of years [she’s] been through."</p> <p>"Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me," she said. "It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn’t do that anymore. I sought and received treatment, I put positive people around me and I got back to doing what I love — writing songs and making music."</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BhbXpN-n4po/" target="_blank">A post shared by Mariah Carey (@mariahcarey)</a> on Apr 11, 2018 at 3:58am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Carey says she's now in therapy to help manage her bipolar disorder II, which involves periods of depression as well as hypomania, but is considered less severe than bipolar disorder I.</p> <p>"For a long time I thought I had a severe sleep disorder," added Carey. "But it wasn’t normal insomnia and I wasn’t lying awake counting sheep. I was working and working and working … I was irritable and in constant fear of letting people down. It turns out that I was experiencing a form of mania. Eventually I would just hit a wall. I guess my depressive episodes were characterized by having very low energy. I would feel so lonely and sad — even guilty that I wasn’t doing what I needed to be doing for my career."</p> <p>Carey told People she's now focused on finding the right balance of treatment that works for her.</p> <p>"I’m actually taking medication that seems to be pretty good," she said. "It’s not making me feel too tired or sluggish or anything like that. Finding the proper balance is what is most important."</p> <p> </p>

Mind

Our Partners