Am I bipolar? Do I need bipolar disorder treatment? This is actually a tough question to answer. You may feel like your life is spinning out of control at times, or like you don’t want to get out of bed. But, is it really a clinical disorder, or are you experiencing the natural ups and downs of being human?
If you think you may be bipolar, the best thing you can do is schedule an appointment with a licensed psychiatrist to help you identify if you are or not. If you go to your primary care physician, they may take your word for it, and then put you on medications that could cause other health problems with no way to know if you actually need the medicine or not.
Am I Bipolar?
It is never a good idea to diagnose yourself with anything. When you are self-diagnosing, you are not able to be objective and therefore, can administer a biased diagnosis. Always let a professional that is not involved in your situation do the diagnosing.
In short, the word bipolar literally means to have two poles that are the opposite. Polar opposites have a bipolar division; you are bipolar if your moods regularly swing from extreme high to extreme low and back.
There are four types of bipolar disorder as defined by the National Institute of Mental Health; they are as follows:
1. Bipolar I – This form of the disorder is very specific. Extreme mood cycles last for seven days, with the depressive cycle lasting up to two weeks. These cycles also display irregular behaviors that can be dangerous and even life-threatening.
2. Bipolar II – Similar to the one above, this one includes episodes lasting different lengths of time between patients and the swings not as extreme. This definition of the disorder can cause it to be over-diagnosed in patients that may just need to make some lifestyle changes (such as quitting using drugs or alcohol) to no longer display the disorder.
3. Cyclothymia – This diagnosis is of mood cycling that is even less pronounced and perhaps lasts much longer, in the span of years, than bipolar II.
4. Unspecified Bipolar Disorders – These are when people appear to have bipolar symptoms that are not categorized under any of the other titles for the disorder.
Signs of Bipolar Disorder
There are both up-swing and down-swing signs to pay attention to.
Here are the signs of an upswing:
- Insomnia
- Multitasking
- Irritable
- Feeling High
- Increased Activity
- Doing Risky Things
Here are the signs of a down-swing:
- Low Energy
- Sad Feeling
- Worried Over Nothing
- Forgetful
- Changes in Eating Habits
- Changes in Sleep Patterns and tired
If you or a loved one are showing signs of bipolar disorder, you may want to look into bipolar disorder treatment before the condition becomes worse.
Finding Bipolar Treatment
Find treatment in your area if you feel you may have bipolar disorder. We cannot stress enough that you see a licensed therapist. Crestview Recovery offers a range of mental health treatments for those with bipolar disorder and dual diagnosis. Call us today at 866.262.0531 to find out more!
