It is commonly thought that being bipolar is just a matter of sometimes having an inflated mood and sometimes having a depressed mood, but it is more complex than that. Bipolar disorder has a number of different symptoms depending on the type and severity of the episode, and even depending on the particular bipolar person. In this article, I will discuss the different types of behavior that one can expect.
Mania
Mania is the most severe type of episode that people who have bipolar disorder can have. In a manic episode, people who are manic often have psychotic symptoms, which can lead them to lose touch with reality and even have hallucinations. often, these manic episodes include grandiose delusions, such as believing in special powers or even believing that the bipolar person is someone else, like Jesus. If someone is having a manic episode, it is important to seek them emergency medical help right away.
Hypomania
Far more common than mania is what is called hypomania. when people are hypomanic, they can demonstrate a wide range of different behaviors:
- Grandiosity: the person will start to make wild plans that really don't have any chance of success.
- Spending and Reckless Behavior: the person will spend money that he or she doesn't have, as well as engage in risky activities.
- Pressured and Rapid Speech: the person may speak extremely quickly, and the speech may become pressured, like the person is trying very hard to get his or her words out fast enough.
However, people who are hypomanic can also be very irritable. This can lead them to be very quick tempered and to enter into explosive rages, depending on the situation.
Depression
Manic people who are depressed behave much like other people who are depressed, but there can be some differences. Some of the similarities are the following:
- Lack of Interest in Anything: Depressed people will often not want to do anything at all, withdrawing socially.
- Difficulty getting Things done: Depressed can find even simple tasks to be a lot of effort.
- Substance Abuse: People who have bipolar depression are more prone to substance abuse than other people, sometimes using substances as a way of medicating themselves.
In addition, however, those who have bipolar depression are more likely to be anxious than other depressed people. This can include feelings of persecution, which can lead to strange accusations and in some cases having the person avoid whomever he or she thinks is doing the persecuting.
Mixed States
People who are bipolar can also have what are called mixed states or, when less serious, mixed hypomanic states. Basically, these states include symptoms of both elevated and depressed states.
What this implies is that people who are bipolar can have irritable depressive episodes or anxious grandiosity. Really, any symptoms can mix together.
Mixed states can be especially dangerous, as they are the period in which bipolar people are especially likely to become suicidal. the low mood combined with the energy to act on that low mood can be very dangerous. If you notice someone in a mixed state or are in a mixed state yourself, please seek help if you or the other person start to show signs of becoming suicidal.
Conclusion
Bipolar behaviors are attached to the various mood states that bipolar people have. those moods can include elevation, depression, irritability and depression, in any combination. Bipolar disorder is a complex illness with complex behavior, but understanding the connection of mood and behavior is a good place to start in understanding the illness itself.
The Behavior of Bipolar People
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