Are There Different Types of Bipolar Disorder?
If you or someone close to you shows signs of depression, high energy, sleep problems, it might be time to learn more about the different levels of bipolar disorder. It might also be time to find treatment for your type of bipolar disorder.
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What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a mental health disorder that can affect mood, energy, concentration, and more. It is categorized by intense mood swings that go from manic or high feelings to depressive or low feelings.
Mood swings associated with bipolar disorder can be so severe that they disrupt your daily life. What you feel might be mixed where you experience manic and depressive symptoms throughout the day in an uncontrollable fashion.
For some people, the symptoms of manic or depressive episodes can last months or years, making it difficult to maintain a job, cultivate intimate relationships, care for yourself or your family, and more.
What Are the Signs of Bipolar Disorder?
Signs of bipolar disorder are divided into two categories:
Depressive Signs
Depressive signs include:
- Feelings of worthlessness
- Guilt
- Despair
- Intense pessimism
- Self-doubt
- Problems concentrating or remembering things
- Feeling hopeless or irritable most of the time
- Low energy
- Lethargy
- Lack of appetite
- Problems sleeping
- Suicidal thoughts
Manic Signs
Manic signs include:
- Feelings of self-importance
- High energy
- Rapid speaking
- Elation
- New ideas or seemingly important plans
- Becoming easily irritated or agitated
- Being easily distracted
- Having hallucinations
- Not wanting to sleep
- Acting impulsively, like spending a large sum of money on things you can’t afford or saying/doing things that are risky or harmful
Sometimes people experience repeated swings from manic signs to depressive signs quickly, and other times people experience a mixed state of signs from both categories.
Bipolar disorder signs can get worse because of genetics, stress, environment, and other factors. That is why proper treatment is so important.
Are There Different Types of Bipolar Disorder?
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, there are three different types of bipolar disorder or levels of bipolar disorder.
Bipolar 1
With these forms of bipolar disorder, people experience manic episodes lasting at least seven days in a row or manic symptoms so severe they require hospitalization. People also experience depressive symptoms that last at least two weeks.
With Bipolar 1, people can experience what is called “rapid cycling,” where they rapidly go through manic and depressive episodes at least four times per year.
Bipolar 2
With these types of bipolar disorder, people experience the same symptoms as Bipolar 1, but the depressive and manic episodes are slightly less severe and don’t last quite as long.
Cyclothymic
Most people are familiar with the first two forms of bipolar disorder, but Cyclothymic disorder also falls under the heading of a type of bipolar. With this, the same cycles can occur but are not as long-lasting or intense as the other two levels of bipolar disorder.
There are also situations where someone has an unspecified diagnosis because they have bipolar disorder symptoms but not those that match the three forms of bipolar listed above.
How to Find Bipolar Treatment Programs Near You
Each of these types of bipolar disorders is an illness that you have to learn to live with. Many people might be unaware that the signs and symptoms they experience are related to bipolar disorder.
Without proper treatment, manic episodes can last up to six months, and depressive episodes can last up to six months, but the right treatment can help improve your life by reducing the severity and length of your symptoms.
Without proper mental health treatment, you risk behaving in unhelpful or disruptive fashions that shock you when you come out of your manic or depressive phases.
You also increase your risk of additional mental health disorders or substance abuse disorders. Finding proper bipolar treatment programs can give you coping skills and medication to help manage symptoms when they arise.
With Centric Behavioral Health, we can help you through a combination of different treatments. Your treatment plan might include medication to prevent episodes of depression or mania, like mood stabilizers, medication to help treat the main symptoms of your depression or mania when they arise. It’s also important that you learn how to recognize signs of an upcoming episode and triggers while participating in regular exercise, improved diet, improved sleep patterns, enjoyable activities, and talk therapy.
Turn to Centric Behavioral Health today to get treatment for different types of bipolar. Contact Centric Behavioral Health today to learn more about what we treat, our levels of care, and our locations.
