Mania is the word that describes the
activated phase of bipolar disorder. The
symptoms of mania may include:
either an elated, happy mood or an
irritable, angry, unpleasant mood
increased activity or energy
more thoughts and faster thinking than
normal
increased talking, more rapid speech than
normal
ambitious, often grandiose, plans
poor judgement
increased sexual interest and activity
decreased sleep and decreased need for
sleep
what are the symptoms of depression?
Depression is the other phase of bipolar
disorder. The symptoms of depression may
include:
depressed or apathetic mood
decreased activity and energy
restlessness and irritability
fewer thoughts than usual and slowed
thinking
less talking and slowed speech
less interest or participation in, and
less enjoyment of activities normally
enjoyed
decreased sexual interest and activity
hopeless and helpless feelings
feelings of guilt and worthlessness
pessimistic outlook
thoughts of suicide
change in appetite (either eating more or
eating less)
change in sleep patterns (either sleeping
more or sleeping less)
what is a "mixed" state?
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Melissa_20
Especially EHEALTHy
Joined: 18 Jan 2006 Posts: 6806 Location: Florida
Re: Some Symptoms Posted: 06-21-06 07:14am
nitrochic
wrote:
what is a "mixed"
state?
i have no idea.I was just
asking because I think my boyfrend may be
bi-polar.He only threatens to commit
suicide when he's drunk(which is also
mostly when the problem side comes out of
him).He has someof these symptoms but I
wonder if you have to have all the
symptoms to be bi-polar?Thank you much for
your response!
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its38
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 1 Location: Outside the gates of hell...smiling
Posted: 06-21-06 13:14pm
Alcohol is its own problem, don't
trivialize bipolar by realating it to some
guy who threatens to take his life while
he's drunk. I have type 1 bipolar and
think that too many people associate
bipolar disorder with plain old stupidity.
He probably does not have bipolar if he
only does this when he is drunk, true
bipolar is not associated with "downers"
such as alcohol. True bipolar shows
itself at any time no matter what the
circumstance.
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Melissa_20
Especially EHEALTHy
Joined: 18 Jan 2006 Posts: 6806 Location: Florida
Posted: 06-21-06 13:20pm
its38
wrote:
alcohol is its own problem,
don't trivialize bipolar by realating it
to some guy who threatens to take his life
while he's drunk. I have type 1 bipolar
and think that too many people associate
bipolar disorder with plain old stupidity.
He probably does not have bipolar if he
only does this when he is drunk, true
bipolar is not associated with "downers"
such as alcohol. True bipolar shows
itself at any time no matter what the
circumstance.
you misunderstood me.He
doesn't only do it when he;s drunk,its
just that when he's drunk its worss.I
think he is bi-polar though.He has a lot
of those symptoms but not all.Do you have
to have all those symptoms to be bi-polar?
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NitroChic
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 7 Location: Central Illinois
Bi-polar And Alcohol Posted: 06-21-06 16:03pm
Melissa,
your bf doesnt have to have all the
symptoms to be bipolar, but as a
recovering alcoholic, I think you should
look into simple depression... Nothing
simple about it of course, but untreated
bi-polar disorder can be very dangerous,
and unpredictable. It seems to me that
you have his mood swings down pretty good.
Bi-polar is pretty difficult to map and
predict. The alcohol abuse could be a an
effect of self medication for depression.
Understand that you will not be able to
convince him to stop drinking or get help
unless he wants to, and he can see how
easy it is to get help.
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Melissa_20
Especially EHEALTHy
Joined: 18 Jan 2006 Posts: 6806 Location: Florida
Re: Bi-polar And Alcohol Posted: 06-22-06 06:20am
nitrochic
wrote:
melissa,
your bf doesnt have to have all the
symptoms to be bipolar, but as a
recovering alcoholic, I think you should
look into simple depression... Nothing
simple about it of course, but untreated
bi-polar disorder can be very dangerous,
and unpredictable. It seems to me that
you have his mood swings down pretty good.
Bi-polar is pretty difficult to map and
predict. The alcohol abuse could be a an
effect of self medication for depression.
Understand that you will not be able to
convince him to stop drinking or get help
unless he wants to, and he can see how
easy it is to get
help.
someone told me that
bi-polar can go a long period of time wo
having a depression stage.He can go one to
three months.But maybe you are right.When
he has a really bad day,i mean like one
day he found out he couldn't get his work
driving liscense for some reason,our plane
ticket price went up and we didn't have
the money for them and his boss was giving
himsh*t at work,when he has a day like
that he goes out and gets totally
wasted.He will say things to you about
stuff that bothered him that you did,and
it could be from yesterday to 2 or 3
months ago.He keps everything in and when
he gets wasted it all comes out,things you
didn't even know that bothered him.When he
doesn't get drunk he for a while is in his
good mood,then one day for like 2 or 3
days he is pissy and no one wants to be
around him/he doesn't want to be around
anyone.I told him he has anger issues and
he needs to find another way to deal with
them besides getting wasted cause I can't
take it anymore.I almost came to my
breaking point last time(which was about 2
weeks ago).He said he would go to the
doctor to see about some help,but I don't
know.Do you suggest anything,like maybe
how I should handle him when he's drunk
and starts spouting off?(i don't live with
him at the moment btw)
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singledad
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 86 Location: New Mexico
Posted: 10-30-06 11:30am
I'm not one of those people who councils
to "dump him" for every little
incompatability, but having spent ten
years married to an alchoholic, I think
this is one of those instances when it
applies - he's not going to get better
unless he wants to, and seeks help for
himself, you can't do a damn thing for
him, except maybe make him worse.
I knew guy like that once, always
threatening to kill himself - he puulled
out a gun once in a house full of kids,
and pointed it at his head. I talked him
out of the gun, then pointed it at his
head and asked him if he really wanted to
die - turned out he didn't, and he quit
playing that game.
I.E., it might be a sympathy ploy, he's
playing you, trying to get you to feel
sorry for him, and if you threaten to
leave him i'm guessing he'sll use it.
You probobly can't do what I did, but but
you can call his bluff and notify the
police that he's threatening to kill
himself - being a danger to himself or
others constitutes grounds for
intervention.
Either way, if it's a bluff, he'll get the
help he needs for his other problems, and
if it isn't, he'll get the help he needs
for that too, form professionals.
Still, it may not take, he won't do it
untill he's ready, which could be a long
time, so for you, i'd advise not getting
drawn into his game, you'll end up in as
bad a shape or worse - get some distance.
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Mommy35
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Sep 2006 Posts: 3165 Location: Vacationland, USA,
Posted: 10-30-06 11:47am
Some people can be in the manic stage for
a long time. They don't sleep (they
don't need to) and then switch almost
instantly into the depressed stage. Some
people cycle really fast going from manic
to depressed many times within the same
day.
Alcohol is a depressant and when someone
who may not be totally stable in the first
place drinks, this is a recipe for bad
things to happen. I hope he always takes
his feelings out on himself and doesn't
take them out on you.
My ex was also a total a$$ when he drinks.
(hence, being an ex) when people didn't
pay attention to him or if he has been a
jerk and made everyone feel terribe that
they don't talk to him then he turns his
anger onto himself and threatens to kill
himself. He learned that this type of
behavior got him attention. I solved the
issue by calling 911 when he threatened to
off himself one time. The sheriff
transported him to the er where a full
psychiactric evaluation was performed.
He didn't get admitted to the mental
hospital, but was told that he would be
'blue papered' if he did it again. He
was very upset with me when he got out,
but he didn't threaten to hurt himself
again.
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Balch
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 03 Dec 2006 Posts: 30 Location: Sunnyvale
Symptoms Posted: 12-12-06 21:34pm
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder
characterized by alternating states of
depression and mania that follow each
other in a repeating cycle.
People with bipolar disorder may cycle
through these states quickly or may
experience long periods of depression or
mania. Often one mood state predominates,
while the other occurs only infrequently
or briefly.
Symptoms of the elevated mood stage of
bipolar disorder include an exaggerated
sense of confidence and well-being, racing
thoughts, excessive talking,
distractibility, increased desire for
pleasurable activity, decreased need for
sleep, impulsivity, irritability, and
impairment in judgment. The depressed
phase includes symptoms of sadness,
fatigue, pessimism, feelings of
helplessness, low self-esteem, and loss of
interest in life, possibly with thoughts
of suicide.
