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What is bipolar disorder?
• People with bipolar disorder experience periods of elevated mood. These periods of
elevated mood are called ‘manic episodes’ or ‘mania’.
• As with depression, mania can affect the way a person feels physically and emotionally,
the way they think and the way they behave (see Table 2). These effects can have a
severe impact on a person’s life, and are often the opposite to the effects of depression.
• Most people with bipolar disorder also experience periods of depression. In between
episodes of depression and mania, the person is usually completely well.
• However, some people with bipolar disorder experience mania but do not experience
periods of depression. Others experience both depression and mania at the same time.
Table 2.
The symptoms of mania
Have you experienced any of these symptoms? Tick (
4
) the box next to the
symptoms that you have experienced.
Emotions
Elevated mood
Exaggerated self-esteem
Agitation
Physical reactions
Talking more or talking more rapidly
Decreased need for sleep
Increased energy
Thoughts
Racing thoughts
Easily distracted
Difficulty concentrating
Impaired judgement
Behaviours
Increase in goal-directed activity (e.g., at work or socially)
Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful
consequences (e.g., buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, dangerous driving)
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