How to Tell If You Have Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder (or manic depression) is characterized by excessive mood swings. These swings range from highs (mania) to lows (depression). The best way to determine if you have this disorder is to consult with a psychiatrist. However, you can determine the likelihood that you have bipolar disorder by looking at yourself in relation to its two parts: mania and depression.

Instructions

Mania

• 1

  Lack of sleep. Examine your sleep habits. See if there are nights when you only get three hours of sleep. Ask yourself if you are energetic the following day.

• 2

  High mood. Evaluate your confidence to see if it is extremely high. Check if you feel euphoric and have grandiose thoughts.

• 3

  Energetic. Think about your speech to see if it is pressured. Are you very talkative? Consider your thoughts to determine if they are racing--that is, one thought after another bombards your mind in rapid succession and they won't quit.

• 4

  Behavior. Judge your behavior to find out if it is irresponsible, hyperactive, highly goal-oriented, impulsive or distracted. Decide if you have poor judgment that results in reckless behavior (socially, at work or school, sexually).

• 5

  Irritability. Look at your behavior to ascertain if you have a bad temper and are overly aggressive.

• 6

  Psychotic behavior. Assess your mental behaviors. Have you seen things which are not there or heard imaginary voices?

Depression

• 7

  Loss of interest. Appraise your interest level in life. Determine if you have an unexplained loss of energy and have trouble concentrating on things.

• 8

  Feelings. Explore your feelings to see if you feel worthless, have guilt feelings or have thoughts of death.

• 9

  Sleep. Survey your sleep habits. Judge if you have problems sleeping and are not well rested the following day.

• 10

  Weight. Weigh yourself. See if you have lost weight without dieting, or have gained weight (5 percent of body weight per month).