You will hear the term “bipolar” used to describe weather that changes drastically from day-to-day, a toddler’s erratic behavior, or you may even have used the term to describe your own emotional ups and downs, but what does bipolar disorder actually look like for the nearly 6 million Americans who are diagnosed annually? To be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, you must experience depression and at least one episode of mania. For most people with the disorder, fluctuations between depression and mania do not occur from minute to minute, day-to-day, or even week-to-week.
We are all pretty familiar with what depression looks/feels like, but what is mania? A manic episode feels like a “high” following or amid a period of depression. For some individuals, it can actually feel good. You might suddenly be full of energy to the point where you can function on little to no sleep for days on end. You may have endless thoughts or ideas that you cannot calm. Some people feel invincible and engage in risky behaviors (including compulsive shopping, gambling, substance use, and/or unsafe sexual encounters). The risk for self-harm, whether purposeful or accidental, is very real during these times. Don’t think that just because you don’t engage in risky behaviors you can’t be experiencing mania, though. For some people, mania can manifest as irritability, excessively cleaning the house for hours on end, or being unable to put work aside.
If you think you may have bipolar disorder, please be honest with your mental health provider about your symptoms. There is no judgement here! In fact, celebrities such as Mariah Carey, Mel Gibson, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Demi Lovato, and many others have come forward with their diagnosis to help raise awareness. Treating bipolar disorder as depression (with anti-depressants alone) can actually induce a manic episode, so withholding symptoms of mania from your healthcare provider can have dangerous results. There are a number of medications available that can simultaneously treat depressive and manic symptoms, helping you safely reach stability so that you feel like YOU again.