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676912 tn?1332812551

Symptoms...

What are the symptoms of bipolar disorder? I'm just curious because it runs on both sides of my family, and my dad is bipolar, and occasionally I think maybe I should be talking to a dr because of how I am sometimes, but I don't want to walk into the drs office and make them think I'm some crazy person.
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967168 tn?1477584489
much of what lindahand describes is what I've gone through for so long I can't even remember...I used to feel bad about myself and sooo guilty when I went through manic spells but I had no clue what it was.  thankfully I'm learning since being diagnosed and cutting myself some slack with these episodes..

what I think is weird with me though is no 2 episodes or time frames are ever the same; anyone else find this? it might be one hour or a day or a week when it hit; I just never knew what I was in for.

I felt great I could do anything and conquer the world!  I'm impulsive and don't think about what will happen if I do certain things...kind of dam the consequences...I either love everyone or hate them and wish they would leave and get very irritated easily.   I can't tell you the amount of friend I've allienated with my behavior over the years; social issues have been the bane of my existance.  

I wouldn't sleep for 3-4 days at a time; spend "wildly" is all I know how to describe it; and still paying for it many years later...at one point even talked my husband into putting our house up for collateral when I got this crazy idea I needed to own a business and make millions! hah....not even thinking of the consequences, I won't even go into the sexual part - that's just too embarassing to go through (plus my son may read MH again and I really don't want to open that line of thinking again)

I used to cycle often; but the past 2 years I've been in a deep depressed state since I had heart surgery and developed an intense fear of leaving my house or doing anything because I'm afraid of having something go wrong.  I have panic attacks when I do go out; smells and sounds can trigger a really horrible attack and I have to drop whatever I'm doing and leave.

I know not everyone goes through things like this but that's just part of what I've gone through.  I didn't know I had something wrong like BP until a few months ago; since then it's been difficult to come to terms with having a mental illness but it's no different than a physical illness and needs to be treated with meds in my case; I just got the approval to go on Lamictal yesterday so soon I'll start and see how it goes.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
u know my mom is bioplar and my son was dignosed when he was five and through out thr years I have wondered if I was to because I would have episodes like him and than I thought I just learned the behavior from my mom but I have seen a docter and they said they shall no sign of the illness that mybe I just needed to talk to someone often or find something to do to relieve my stress cause growing up with her all I ever shall was her anger and violence towards her kids I never shall love oe happines from her know I have my own I know I could never do what she did mybe u just need to talk to someone cause sounds like to me that u ju have alot to deal with and believe me your sleeping pattern is going to be off for the next eighteem years..
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Avatar universal
If you want to know more about bipolar then go to www.************.com or www.*****.com

If it is not bipolar (and really only a professional can diagnose) see a psychologist to learn how to cope.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
May be worth going to talk to a psychiatrist. Treatment doesn't have to be just medication. It can be cognitive therapy as well. They say the best is a mix of both. But since you are breastfeeding medication is out of the question right now anyway.
Helpful - 0
676912 tn?1332812551
Actually...I do spend money foolishly, and we end up suffering sometimes because of it. I do get "in the mood" more than normal, and I think it's maybe because of a lack of intimacy between my husband and I, and it's not all the time, but sometimes...but that could be because it's a certain time during my cycle. There are some times when I can go without a lot of sleep because I have an inability to sleep, for example it's 25 after midnight, and I'm wide awake. I should be beat after the lack of sleep I've had the last few days especially since my kids and I have been sick, but I'm not. I can wake up after 3 or 4 hours of sleep, early in the morning (early for me is before 730) usually around 5-6 and stay up until 12, 1 am...no problem, and then end up boring myself to sleep with some random tv show, and on the flipside I have days where I sleep all night for the most part (I'm still breast feeding my daughter) and I could sleep all day if I had the ablility to. I never wish I could die...I have too much to live for. Sometimes I wonder if I have post pardum depression, or if my hormones are just messed up because of breast feeding, even though they're normal enough for my cycles to have returned. I still cry just as much at stupid things as I did when I was pregnant.

I know for a fact this isn't learned behavior because growing up watching my dad, the only behavior that I witnessed was his violence. He kept everything else hidden until the last couple years.
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Avatar universal
Bipolar is episodes. What you describe sounds like irritability which is a symptom of bipolar but must be accompanied by other symptoms. Do you spend money foolishly for a a period of time (at least a week) and then are okay with finances. Do you get super sexual for a period of time. Is your irritability combined with racing thoughts. Do you need less sleep for a period of time but still feel energized, perhaps having more energy that normal. These are all signs of hypomania which you need to have bipolar. Hypomania is being sped up.

Do you have periods where you are so down you just wish you could die? Your bones ache. You either have insomnia or can sleep all day. You cry a lot without good reason to. You feel more than just sadness but despair. And this must impair your functioning in the world. So you do poorly at your job, or your home life is suffering.

If you aren't experiencing those types of things. Chances are you just have some irritability or some other psychiatric disorder. Some talk therapy. Cognitive therapy. May help round out some of those harsher corners. It could be learned behaviour from watching your father too versus a chemical disorder.

Good luck. Hope you don't have a psychiatric disorder as they are really harsh.
Helpful - 0
520191 tn?1355635402
So it sounds like you get angry and irritated often because of something that is happening in your environment which doesn't sound in its self like bipolar, but i am not a doctor so I can't diagnose you any way. If you talk to a doctor, you can always turn down medication, and i only ever suggest to anyone to only take medication if that want to and make sure the doctor doesn't push them into something they don't want. I think it would be helpful to see a psychologist maybe, as they don't deal with medication and they can work with you to work through whats happening with you and see if its bipolar or not. Something that can often look similar to bipolar is borderline personality disorder, if you want something to look up.

I hope this helps.
Freddie
Helpful - 0
676912 tn?1332812551
Mostly what makes me think I may have it, is how my dad acts, and the way I do too. I can be happy one minute, my husband say or do one thing and I'm absolutely irate almost, over stupid things too. I don't get sad very often, or depressed. My dad is the same, but has been depressed too. Of course I wonder if it's not just "the Italian" in me as well...I do have a temper, but I'm just not sure if it's normal to go from happy to so mad, or if it's possibly something else. I also posted in another forum as well, because I have had a few questions in my mind about myself, and I prefer not to talk to a dr yet because I don't know if I should have reason for concern, and I don't want to be put on medication because I have two small children (3 and almost 9 months) and I don't want to go through trial and error of meds and side effects.
Helpful - 0
520191 tn?1355635402
What are your symptoms that you are worried about having bipolar disorder?  Just because your dad has it doesn't mean you will. My Dad had bipolar and has had 5 children but only me the youngest has bipolar too. If you are experiencing unwanted symptoms i would suggest talking to a doctor about what is happening, but if you have no symptoms that you know of then i would be surprised that you have bipolar.
Helpful - 0
574118 tn?1305135284
Don't rush things. If you have it , then it will manifest itself right away. It's like a pregnant woman, it won't be too long before she realizes it. I wouldn't go to a pdoc, because the 1st thing they will do is to put you on some drugs. This is what they are created for.

Don't worry and be patient. It doesn't mean that you should automatically have it. You can escape it since nobody knows exactly the reasons why people get it. Not every illness is hereditary. As to information about BP, websites have huge info check "bipolar central" for instance

good luck
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