More Than a Mood Swing: Recognizing Signs of Bipolar Disorders

You’re in a great mood one minute, but thanks to a bit of bad news, your mood quickly plummets, and you’re enveloped by sadness. Mood swings like this are commonplace and simply part of the human condition.

The mood swings that come with a condition like bipolar disorder, however, are an entirely different matter. Bipolar disorder affects nearly 3% of the population in the United States, and the numbers are fairly evenly split between men and women.

Despite being so prevalent, there’s still a lot of misinformation swirling around about bipolar disorder that the team of skilled mental health experts here at Northern Virginia Psychiatric Group wants to clear up. 

With that goal, here’s a look at some key signs of bipolar disorder that extend beyond simple mood swings.

The different types of bipolar disorder

As with most mental health issues, bipolar disorder doesn’t affect people in exactly the same way, which is why there is a classification system. The three primary types of bipolar disorder include:

Bipolar I

People with bipolar I experience manic episodes during which they can become restless, energetic, irritable, reckless, impulsive, and easily distracted. These episodes are extreme and often require hospitalization as the person becomes a danger to themselves or others.

These manic episodes are often followed by depressive episodes that can last two weeks or more. These episodes encompass the hallmarks of depression, including feeling hopeless, worthless, overwhelming sadness, and even having suicidal thoughts. 

Bipolar II disorder

With bipolar II disorder, the person may experience less extreme manic episodes, which we call hypomania. These hypomanic episodes aren’t the problem as people often feel happy and productive. The problem comes with the depressive episodes that surround the periods of hypomania.

Moreover, with bipolar II, people can go back to normal function in between hypomanic and depressive episodes.

Cyclothymic disorder

This type of bipolar disorder features ongoing episodes of depression and hypomania that aren’t all that severe, but people cycle through them for two years or longer.

Most people with bipolar disorder can benefit from treatment

An important point that we want you to keep in mind is that 83% of cases of bipolar disorder are what we consider to be severe bipolar I.

So, if you (or a loved one) are experiencing extreme highs and lows that are preventing you from functioning properly, this is a key sign that you can benefit from our help. People with untreated bipolar disorder can be a threat to themselves and others during an extreme manic or depressive episode.

When we treat bipolar disorder, our goal is to stabilize your moods so that they don’t swing to such potentially harmful and disruptive extremes. Through medications, psychotherapy, and lifestyle changes, we can help people with bipolar disorder remain on steadier ground mood-wise, allowing them to enjoy a more well-balanced life.

If you suspect that you’re dealing with bipolar disorder, help is just a phone call or click away. You can either call our office in Fairfax, Virginia, at 571-748-4588, or contact us online to schedule your appointment today.