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Rare Bipolar Symptoms

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that can have a wide range of symptoms. Recognizing, diagnosing and managing those symptoms is a challenge for the sufferer as well as their health team and their families. Accurately recognizing symptoms, even rare symptoms, is a key part of the diagnostic and management process. Bipolar patients, their families and their health team are all important to these processes, and it is important for families to be able to recognize these rarer bipolar symptoms as well as the more common symptoms.

  1. Introduction

    • Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that is characterized by mood swings from an elated state, or mania to a low state, or depression. There are four sub-types of bipolar disorder; bipolar I, II, Cyclothymia and bipolar NOS. Bipolar I is characterized by the patient as having mainly manic episodes with few depressive episodes. With bipolar II the patient has mainly depressive episodes with occasional Hypomania. Hypomania is a mild version of mania. Cyclothymia is a mild version of the disorder with mild hypomania and depression. Bipolar not otherwise specified (NOS) is given as a diagnosis when a patient's symptoms do not match the diagnostic criteria for any of the other sub-types.

    Hypomania and Dysphoric Mania

    • Hypomania is a mild version of the symptoms commonly associated with mania. The symptoms may include; euphoria, inflated self-esteem, poor judgment, rapid speech, racing thoughts, aggressive behavior, risky behavior, decreased need for sleep and spending sprees. Hypomania often does not last as long as mania, but the danger to hypomania is that it is mild. The milder symptoms are easier for the patient to ignore and can make diagnosis difficult. Dysphoric Mania is an extreme version of mania where the sufferer experiences the negative symptoms of mania, without the euphoria.

    Mixed Episodes

    • A mixed episode is when a patient suffers from both manic and depression symptoms at the same time. For example, a patient who is experiencing a mixed episode can experience manic symptoms such as racing thoughts, impulsiveness, insomnia and irritability at the same time as experiencing depressive symptoms such as hopelessness, guilt and suicidal thoughts. Mixed episodes can lead to substance abuse, panic attacks and suicide and can be extremely difficult for the patient to manage.

    Rapid Cycling

    • A typical episode for someone who suffers from bipolar disorder lasts between three and six months. The diagnostic criteria for rapid cycling states that someone needs to experience four or more episodes in a year to be diagnosed as rapid cycling. Someone who experiences more than one mood in a 24 to 48 hour period is considered to be experiencing a ultra-ultra rapid cycle. This type of rapid cycling can also be called ultra rapid cycling and extremely rapid cycling.

    Psychosis

    • Someone who is experiencing an extreme state of either mania or depression can experience psychosis. Psychosis can either be hallucinatory or delusional in nature. Hallucinations include seeing or hearing things that are not there, but can seem very real. Delusions typically mean strongly believing things that are not true or real. The sufferer often exhibits personality changes and disorganized thinking, combined with unusual and/or bizarre behavior.

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