Am I Bipolar? Spot the Signs and Take a Self-Assessment Test đ¤
Weâve all seen the films: a person with bipolar enters the room ecstatically happy but a minute later, theyâre furious for no apparent reason. And, often, that person is also the bad guy in the story.
Yes, people with the condition might shift in mood when they are experiencing an episode of depression or maniaâfeeling overactive, âhighâ, or manicâbut how and when this happens is unique to that person, and certainly doesnât transform them into the villain from a slasher film.
These stereotypes only add stigma to a condition thatâs poorly understood. đ âââ
If you think you might be bipolar, you arenât alone. And donât let the movies fool youâmood swings are just one aspect of bipolar and donât define who you are as a person.
Want to learn more about spotting the signs of bipolar? Weâve got you. Read on to learn more and then, take a self-assessment test that will help you get a sense of how closely your experiences align with other people who have bipolar. Remember, folks, only a doctor can diagnose you, but the test can help you to better understand yourself.
What is bipolar?
Bipolar disorder, which is sometimes also called bipolar affective disorder or manic depressive disorder, is a long-term mental illness where people experience episodes of depression or mania.
Bipolar is not the same thing as having mood swingsâsay, feeling irritable after a bad nightâs sleep or getting all the feels a week before your period. A bipolar episode is a specific period of time where a person experiences either mania or depression to the point where this interferes with their day-to-day and social life.
Episodes can last for days or weeks, and some people can go for months or years without having one.
How someone actually experiences an episode is totally unique to them, and different symptoms can come with this. Plus, how long an episode lasts for and how much time passes between them also varies from person-to-person.
There are two main types of bipolar:
1ď¸âŁ Bipolar I disorder
This is where someone has had at least one manic episode, regardless of whether theyâve ever had a major depressive episode.
2ď¸âŁ Bipolar II disorder
People with bipolar II have had one or more major depressive episodes and at least one hypomanic episode. Here, there is no evidence of mania, which is when an elevated mood is severe enough to affect their day-to-day life.
Other ways to describe bipolar
Because experiences of bipolar are so varied and unique, different terms are sometimes used to specify what a personâs experience is like.
Sometimes, an episode can contain a mixture of manic and depressive symptoms, which some people refer to as having âmixed featuresâ.
If youâve experienced four or more depressive, manic or hypomanic, or mixed episodes within a year, you might be told that your bipolar is âwith rapid cyclingâ. đ´
If your bipolar is affected by the time or year or seasons, you might be told that you have bipolar âwith seasonal pattern.â
These terms are not meant to âput you in a boxââdoctors or other clinicians might use them to better describe your experiences so that they can figure out the best way to help you.
What are the symptoms of bipolar?
Youâve probably clocked by now that people with bipolar have either depressive or manic episodes, but did you know that each of these types of episodes can come with their own set of symptoms?
Itâs a lot, we know. Plus, because bipolar feels different for everyone, you may not see yourself in some of the symptoms below. If this is you, we see you, and it doesnât make your experiences any less valid.
Still, there are some common themes in how people experience bipolar. Check âem out:
A manic episode is not just feeling happy or energisedâitâs an abnormally elevated mood, where you might feel overactive or irritable. It lasts for at least a week and is accompanied by additional symptoms, including restlessness and less of a need for sleep, that are severe enough to affect your daily life.
Some symptoms that can come with a manic episode include:
Abnormally elevated moodâwhich can translate into extreme irritability, or sometimes even aggression
Elevated energy, restlessness, and less of a need for sleep
Speaking faster than usual or being hard to understand
Racing thoughts, being easily distracted, and not being able to concentrate
Increased libido
Making extravagant or impractical plansâlike going on a spending spree
Psychotic symptoms, including delusions or hallucinations
If a manic episode lasts only 4 days, doesnât come with extra symptoms, and is not severe enough to affect your day-to-day life, itâs known as a hypomanic episode.
A depressive episode lasts for at least two weeks, in which you feel depressed and lose interest in activities. Itâs not the same thing as feeling sad or down and typically comes with at least four extra symptoms. These can include:
Feelings of persistent sadness or low mood
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities and things around you
Low energy
You donât need to have any symptoms of depression to be diagnosed with bipolar, but the two conditions can be similar in some ways. In fact, a good proportion of people with depression are actually misdiagnosed with bipolar. How to tell the difference, you ask? Weâll cover that in a sec.
How is bipolar diagnosed?
To diagnose bipolar, your doctor will first need to figure out what sort of episodes youâve experienced. Sometimes this might be straightforward and other times, not so much.
Bipolar can have similar symptoms to other conditions, so your doctor might need to investigate a little further to rule out some of the possibilities.
For example, if you walked into your doctorâs office with depressive symptoms, they would need to figure out whether itâs a depressive episode or actual depression (sometimes, funnily enough, called âunipolar depressionâ).
If you think you have bipolar, your doctor will ask you a series of questions to try and assess the nature of your symptoms. Some doctors use questionnaires as screening tools, which ask for details about your moods and symptoms and the type of impact theyâve had on you.
In the UK, you may be referred to a psychiatrist who will carry out the assessment. Theyâll ask you about your symptoms, medical history, and how the episodes feel when you go through them.
When deciding on a diagnosis, your doctor will consider information about all your symptoms, including how long episodes last for and how intense they are. If youâve had at least one manic episode, youâre likely to be diagnosed with bipolar I, and if youâve had at least one depressive episode, you may have bipolar II.
Bipolar or depression?
This is the million-dollar question: both conditions have similar symptoms, and both require that those symptoms have been going on for at least two weeks.
In fact, itâs been said that bipolar is mistaken for depression more often than notâover 60% of patients in one study were misdiagnosed with depression when they actually had bipolar.
So, how do we tell the difference? Well, your doctor may ask you some specific questions to try and identify other indications of bipolar. These might include asking whether youâve ever had signs of a hypomanic episode, experienced mood swings, or changes in energy.
Some other signs that can help to identify bipolar are:
Excessive sleepiness during the day
Fluctuations in weight
If you started getting symptoms between the ages of 15-19, or if they were brought on by a trigger
If you experience psychosis, feel mentally or physically slower, or have any abnormal movements (catatonia)
Is it ADHD or bipolar?
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is another mental health condition that can be mistaken for bipolar. And to make things even more complicated, itâs fairly common to have them both at the same time: around 20% of people with bipolar will also have ADHD.
Adults with ADHD might feel restless, be excessively talkative, and be impulsive or impatient. Sounds kinda like a manic episode, right? Theyâre similar, but inattention because of ADHD is more likely to feel as if youâre wandering from one thought to another, versus the feeling of thoughts being strangely clear or as if theyâre accelerating.đ
Some people with bipolar have higher libido during an episode or have psychotic symptoms, neither of which are noted in ADHD.
Another key difference between the two is that bipolar is episodic while ADHD is ongoing.
Bipolar vs BPD
Researchers are still trying to figure out exactly how to distinguish borderline personality disorder (BPD) and bipolar: they both share symptoms and can respond to mood stablisers in a similar way. Some even argue that BPD is actually a type of bipolar disorder. đ¤Ż
People with BPD will typically have trouble regulating their emotions, which can lead to them being impulsive. But, people with bipolar may feel similarly during an episode.
The core difference is this: BPD is a disorder of mood whereas bipolar has distinctive episodes of either depression or mania. If mood changes are rapid and do not occur in cycles, it may be more likely to be BPD.
Have I got bipolar?
While only a doctor can diagnose you for sure, the below self-assessment test can help you to make sense of your symptoms and better understand what you might be going through.
Any online test is only going to be speculative, for a medical diagnosis please check with a doctor.
Remember, a diagnosis does not define you. It is not a judgement. It is not a box that contains you. Your mind is unique and has its own needs. Diagnoses should be used as just another tool to help us get to know ourselves and enable us to improve our mental wellbeing. Thatâs all.
With love, always đ
