Do you… ?
- Have excessive changes in mood that can swing from extreme lows to great highs?
- Ever lose touch with reality?
What is Bipolar Affective Disorder?
Bipolar Affective Disorder (BPAD), also known as manic depression, is a condition that causes unusual shifts in a person’s mood, energy and ability to function. The person has episodes of mania or depression, which are different from normal ‘ups and downs’ in that they are more severe and can damage relationships and ability to work.
Symptoms of mania can include: euphoric mood, significant increased energy and restlessness, extreme irritability, rapid speech, jumping from one topic to another very rapidly, and unrealistic or grandiose ideas about ones abilities. For symptoms of depression, click here.
Sometimes severe episodes of mania or depression include experiences of psychosis such as hallucinations and delusions.
Some people have described their experience as:
“You feel like you’re a genius, you feel you’re the only person in the world who can see it the right way.”
“The lows, the nothing. There’s nothing left in you. You’re beyond tears, you’re even beyond thought.”
