Bipolar Disorder Resources
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What Is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder (formerly called manic-depressive illness or manic depression) is a mental illness that causes unusual shifts in a person’s mood, energy, activity levels, and concentration. These shifts can make it difficult to carry out day-to-day tasks.
Bipolar disorder is often diagnosed during late adolescence (teen years) or early adulthood. Sometimes, bipolar symptoms can appear in children. Although the symptoms may vary over time, bipolar disorder usually requires lifelong treatment. Following a prescribed treatment plan can help people manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life.
via the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
What Are the Symptoms?
- Feeling extreme levels of irritability or anxiety
- Feeling jumpy or wired
- Feeling restless or slowed down
- Having a decreased need for sleep, or trouble falling asleep
- Talking very fast about various subjects, or talking slowly and forgetting a lot
- Racing thoughts and trouble concentrating
- Lack of interest in almost all activities
- An excessive appetite for food, drinking, sex, or other pleasurable activities
- Feeling unusually important and powerful, or extremely hopeless and worthless
- Thoughts of death or suicide
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder In Children & Teens
