Many people know of depression. It is a disorder which makes you feel somber and it often also reduces your life joy. But what is bipolar disorder? And how can you recognize bipolar disorder? This article explains what bipolar disorder is exactly, what its symptoms are, and it gives tips regarding treatment.
Bipolar disorder? What is it?
When you have bipolar disorder, your life consists of two periods. In the first period you feel depressed. This is according to the picture which most people have of depression. You feel down, worry all the time and no longer want to do anything. Most of all you would like to stay in bed without doing anything. But when you do not do anything, your worrying thoughts take over your brain, meaning your brain will end up exhausted. Except for the depressed period, you also have another period. This is called the manic period. During this period, the people around you do not feel like you are depressed at all. You namely start feeling euphoric, or very agitated, and feel like there is nothing that you cannot do. For some people, a manic episode means they become aggressive, but this is only the case in a minority group.
Bipolar disorder? Symptoms
The depressed episode is characterized by the same symptoms as for someone who has a depression. You do not want to do anything, you feel somber, you do not want to leave your bed, and you are worrying all day long about how much of a failure you are. You can hardly sleep, get memory issues, and find it difficult to focus for an extended period of time. Often, your libido decreases drastically, and you start crying a lot. The manic episode is the opposite of the depressed episode. You feel invincible, you are constantly in a good mood, and you feel like you can take on the world. People in this episode are prone to spending money which they do not have. They make crazy purchases, thinking that it is okay - either because they think they do have the money, or because they think they can get the money without a problem. These people therefore often have debts. When they then get out of their manic episode and see the size of their debts, they will become even more depressed. This way, someone with bipolar disorder switches between depressed periods to manic periods, and back. These episodes can last 2-3 months, but in general the manic episodes are shorter than the depressed episodes.
Bipolar disorder? How do I treat it?
If you have bipolar disorder, you can treat your depression by following the online self-help program. The program has been developed to counteract depression, and it will support you in dealing with your negative thoughts, as well as help you find out what makes you happy.
Bipolar disorder? Do the depression test!
You can fill out our online depression test, which will tell you more about your level of depression. After filling out the test, you will immediately get your personal scores!
