How to Identify BiPolar Disorder in Yourself

This Difficult Illness Can Be Easy to Spot If You Look for These Symptoms

By Heidi Blakeslee, published Dec 01, 2006
Published Content: 23  Total Views: 4,248  Favorited By: 0 CPs
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Bi-Polar disorder is a mental disorder that, if undiagnosed, can wreak large amounts of havoc on the individual having the disorder as well as loved ones surrounding the individual. Remember that this is not a tool designed to diagnose this disorder. One should always rely on the help of a doctor for that. This guide will give you some key points and symptoms about bi-polar disorder.

1. Sleep Habits- Does the person involved stay up for days on end needing only a couple hours of sleep a night, (or morning,) to get through a day? After a few days of this, most people with the disorder will crash after their bodies literally give out on them. When a person is manic, this symptom is a giant problem that acts up. On the flip side, if the subject is depressed, they may need up to twenty hours of sleep a day in order to function at all. They may feel that they are never rested despite the fact that they have gone to bed at 5:30pm each day for the last week.

2. Spending Habits- Oftentimes a person in the grips of mania will be interested in spending large amounts of money on loved ones, on strangers, or on themselves. An example might be a person who liquidates all of their savings in order to take their loved ones on a lavish vacation around the world. Left unchecked, this person will rack up thousands of dollars in credit debt and can be a giant strain on loved ones later on.

3. Sexual habits- Typically a person with bi-polar disorder will have sexual habits that fluctuate wildly depending on their mood. They may sleep with many people consecutively without protection, or they may feel that they are superhuman in some way and therefore cannot be hurt. If depressed, they may feel that if they sleep with other individuals they will feel better, then get more depressed as this is not the case.

Did You Know?
BiPolar Disorder is a genetic disease that runs in families.
Comments
Showing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
 
 
joe, you are hilarious, and yet I agree, but I am also bi-polar too.....hehehehehe.

Posted on 12/01/2007 at 8:12:00 AM

 
joe, you have terrible advice there. we are not locked up and drugged. we live normal lives (as well as we can anyways). we can often go without being medicated too, with changes in diet and lifestyle, and with support of family/friends/employers who understand us. i have had bipolar since i was 8. i have never been medicated. i have learned how to cope, how to recognize my moods, and even take advantage of them. in mania stages, i do volunteer work to burn off extra energy in a constructive manner, and to keep myself from doing stupid things. in depressed states, i seek the support of my family to get through it. as my family has a strong genetic history of bipolar and general depression(it is often a genetic disorder), we all quite understand each other.

Posted on 11/23/2007 at 3:11:00 PM

 
I don't think you know what you are talking about

Posted on 09/24/2007 at 11:09:00 AM

 
The native Americans used to take a person who was in the manic state and listen to him because they believed that the "Great Spirit" was attempting to educate them through him. Maybe instead of locking them up and drugging them into a zombie state we should do what the native Americans did. I think they had it right!

Posted on 09/17/2007 at 8:09:00 AM

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