Bipolars and Moodswings

A person is diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder when they experience different moods within a normal period of time. This problem is also termed as manic Manic Depressive. Bipolar means two poles of emotions at extreme ends of a pole. They experience mood swings from very high to very low in quick succession of time sometimes as quickly as in a day depending on the severity and type of the disorder.
A good analogy is a magnet positive high on one side and negative low on the other. There are different phases of Bipolar Disorder each with different symptoms called episodes.
The first episode is Depression where the person will feel sad for a long time. Normal activities are difficult like getting out of bed, things that are normally enjoyed no longer are. They may stop eating and sleeping or sleept abnormally long periods of time. The second is Maniathere is a good mood the smallest thing brings pleasue and productivity and motion is constant. After a period of time if untreated the happy mood changes to becoming irritable and angry. The third is Hypomania which is a milder form of Mania. It starts with the person feeling satisfied and happy with things in their life overall. When there is a shift in these moods in th space of a day it is called a Mixed Mood.
These episodes are dangerous the person is at risk of being suicidal burning out and making poor judgements finanacially to the point of bankcurptcy.. If there are more than four episodes of depression or mania within a year then it is termed as rapid cycling.
When Manic, the symptoms include more energy, less need for sleep, a restless mind, quick to get distracted, racing thoughts and very talkative and confident, this is more risky if things appear to be going bad.
When depressed, the person feels sad, loses interest in normal things, feels guilty about small things, gets feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, and will either sleep a lot or too little. There can be a change in weight and a feeling of being tired all the time. Problems in making decisions, concentrating on a particular job and perhaps restlessness.
There are things that trigger mood swings part of treatment is becoming aware of them. The triggering factors can be events that have occurred in the person's life. All events from happy ones to sad and unpleasant ones can act as the trigger for both manic and depressive episodes. Things like an unbalanced sleep schedule, a change in the dosage of drugs an increase in alcohol intake, or irregular doses of medication will also act as a trigger. There are herbal products that may not be used by Bipolars and might act as a trigger. Thyroid or other health conditions make the person at risk for depression. It is important for physical tests be done for diagnosing Bipolar Disorder. A person may have a physical condition that is mimicing a mental disorder.
But each person is different and each person will experience different reasons for setting off an episode. Even seasonal changes or holidays, illness, marriage, divorce of a friend and other socially relevant incidents in one's life can act as a trigger. Keeping a daily journal is helpful in keeping track of moodswings and relieves the stress of daily living as a Bipolar.
Bipolar Disorder is a treatable mental disorder and the majority of people in treatment can expoect to see favorable results with medication and/or therapy and live a life relatively free of Moodswings .