What are the early-stage symptoms of Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a medical condition in which a person experiences extreme mood swings. It is a mental health problem marked by significantly low and high moods. Low are periods of depression (sad mood), and high are periods of hypomania or mania (abnormally happy or irritable mood).

Sometimes the changes in the mood also become mixed, which means a person might feel depressed and elated at the same time. It is essential to understand that people without bipolar disorder might also experience mood fluctuations, but their mood changes last for just a few hours, not days.

However, in the case of people with this brain disorder, these mood shifts can last for days and are often accompanied by an extreme degree of behavior change and even cause difficulty in everyday activities.

Here are some early-stage symptoms of this mental condition that will help you recognize the problem and get proper bipolar disorder treatment at the earliest.

Four warning symptoms of mania

Racing thoughts and speed talking

Racing thoughts and speed talking are often the first symptoms that develop when a bipolar condition is entering a hypomanic or manic episode. It is often mistaken for ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). However, they are different because ADHD continues from childhood and the bipolar condition is episodic.

Unusually upbeat or irritable mood

The person during the manic phase talks non-stop, feels euphoric, and may develop a hyper-sensitive temper. A person who used to be a sensible individual suddenly becomes impossible to live with.

Boundless energy

The manic phase is notably marked by the highly energetic behavior of an individual. The sufferer will rush to new things, be easily distracted, and jump to new tasks before completion, however, ill-advised.

Inflated sense of self-worth

People with this mental disorder possess an exaggerated sense of knowledge, power, and importance. It is found that many sufferers even start believing that they have a special relationship with God and develop a feeling of being invincible.

Four warning symptoms of depression

Low energy and constant fatigue

In contrast to being overly active in the mania phase, during depression person feels drained of energy and motivation. Plus, the person feels constant fatigue, making it impossible for him to perform day-to-day tasks even if getting up from the bed becomes impossible.

Sad and hopeless mood

People with this kind of mental health look depressed most of the time, resulting in a lack of interest in their lives. Sadness, emptiness, and hopelessness make them extreme pessimists.

Suicidal thoughts and behavior

Sometimes sufferers become self-destructive, suicidal thoughts beset them, they feel cornered as if all possible ways to escape from a situation are closed. They keep on repenting for the past mistakes, including those they made during a manic episode.

Decreased ability to think clearly

Compared to manic episodes, when the mind of the person rushes to different ideas, during the depression, the same mind feels paralyzed. It is hard for the sufferer to remember things and make decisions in this stage.

Bipolar disorder is of two types- Bipolar I and Bipolar II. If you have bipolar I, you are more likely to experience at least one episode of mania, followed by depression (may or may not). On the other hand, in the case of bipolar II, the individual is more likely to experience depression.

The symptoms of this brain disorder are similar to those of ADHD, depression, and other mental illnesses. Therefore, getting diagnosed is a challenge, but it is essential for getting the proper treatment.