Mental Health Resources: Bipolar

All people are different, so your symptoms may vary, but this is a list of possible symptoms of bipolar.

Bipolar Symptoms & Types

Depressive Symptoms

• Depressed mood, such as feeling sad, empty, hopeless or tearful (in children and teens, depressed mood can appear as irritability)
• Marked loss of interest or feeling no pleasure in all — or almost all — activities
• Significant weight loss when not dieting, weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite (in children, failure to gain weight as expected can be a sign of depression)
• Either insomnia or sleeping too much
• Either restlessness or slowed behavior
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt
• Decreased ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness
• Thinking about, planning or attempting suicide

Manic Symptoms

• Abnormally upbeat, jumpy or wired
• Increased activity, energy or agitation
• Exaggerated sense of well-being and self-confidence (euphoria)
• Decreased need for sleep
• Unusual talkativeness
• Racing thoughts
• Distractibility
• Poor decision-making — for example, going on buying sprees, taking sexual risks or making foolish investments

Hypomanic Symptoms

• See Manic Symptoms
• Less severe than Mania

Psychotic Symptoms

• See Manic Symptoms
• See the Psychosis Guide
• Hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren't there)
• Delusions (false beliefs)
• Paranoia (wrongly believing that others are trying to harm you)

Bipolar I Disorder

• At least one manic episode
• May be preceded or followed by hypomanic or major depressive episodes
• In some cases, mania may trigger psychosis

Bipolar II Disorder

• At least one major depressive episode
• At least one hypomanic episode
• No manic episode

Cyclothymic disorder

• At least two years — or one year in children and teenagers — of many periods of hypomania symptoms and periods of depressive symptoms (though less severe than major depression)

(Mayo Clinic, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355955; Healthline, https://www.healthline.com/health/bipolar-disorder/bipolar-psychosis#symptoms)

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

It’s based on the idea that negative actions or feelings are the results of current distorted beliefs or thoughts, not unconscious forces from the past. CBT is a blend of cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy. Cognitive therapy focuses on your moods and thoughts. Behavioral therapy specifically targets actions and behaviors.

Behavioral Therapy

This form of therapy seeks to identify and help change potentially self-destructive or unhealthy behaviors. It functions on the idea that all behaviors are learned and that unhealthy behaviors can be changed.

Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT)

IPSRT is a compelling adjunctive therapy for people with mood disorders, and it emphasizes techniques to improve medication adherence, manage stressful life events, and reduce disruptions in social rhythms.

Medications

Mood stabilizers

Used to control manic or hypomanic episodes.

Antipsychotics

If symptoms of depression or mania persist in spite of treatment with other medications, adding an antipsychotic drug may help. See our Psychosis Guide.

Antidepressants

Used to help manage depression. Because an antidepressant can sometimes trigger a manic episode, it's usually prescribed along with a mood stabilizer or antipsychotic.

Antidepressant-antipsychotic

The medication Symbyax combines the antidepressant fluoxetine and the antipsychotic olanzapine. It works as a depression treatment and a mood stabilizer.

Anti-anxiety medications

Benzodiazepines may help with anxiety and improve sleep, but are usually used on a short-term basis.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

In ECT, electrical currents are passed through the brain to impact the function and effect of neurotransmitters in your brain to relieve depression. ECT is usually used for people who don't get better with medications, can't take antidepressants for health reasons or are at high risk of suicide.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)

TMS may be an option for those who haven't responded to antidepressants. During TMS, a treatment coil placed against your scalp sends brief magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells in your brain that are involved in mood regulation and depression.

(Healthline, https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/cognitive-behavioral-therapy; IPSRT, https://www.ipsrt.org/; Mayo Clinic, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355961; WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/understanding-depression-treatment#091e9c5e80007ad6-1-2)

For a comprehensive list of McFarlin books about bipolar consult our library catalog. Some ebooks may require you sign into the library system before viewing; you will be automatically prompted if a login is necessary.

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