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Bipolar Disorder (Manic-Depressive Disorder): General Information
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depression, causes extreme swings
in mood, energy level, and functioning which may be extreme. Symptoms of
the disorder can fall in several major categories—depression, mania, and
psychosis. In a given episode of bipolar disorder, symptoms from any or
all of these categories can be present.
Depressive symptoms include:
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persistent sad mood
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loss of interest or pleasure in the things you normally like to
do
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significant increase or decrease in appetite or weight not due to
diet
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insomnia or sleeping too much
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physical slowing or agitation
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loss of energy
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feeling worthless or inappropriately guilty
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difficulty
concentrating or making everyday decisions
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recurrent thoughts of suicide
or that life isn’t worth living
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Manic symptoms include:
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abnormally and persistently “high” or “hyper”
mood
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irritability - overly high self-confidence
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decreased need for
sleep
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increased talkativeness
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racing thoughts
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distractibility
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physical agitation
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excessive involvement in risky or impulsive
behaviors, such as spending sprees, gambling, unsafe sex, or foolish
business investments
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Sometimes, severe episodes of mania or depression are accompanied by
psychosis.
Psychotic symptoms include:
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hallucinations (hearing voices or seeing things no one else can see)
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delusions (false personal belief systems that are not
subject to logic or reasoning)
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For more information on major depression, we recommend:
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