A mixed episode, sometimes called a mixed state, is when you feel high and depressed. You may experience symptoms of depression, in addition to mania or hypomania at the same time. For example, you may feel very energized and impulsive, while feeling annoyed or tearful. Or you may feel very agitated or irritable.
However, the right treatment can make a big difference. There are many types of therapies for bipolar depression that work very well. What else helps? Keep track of your symptoms over time. That can help you know when a mood change is coming so you can handle it soon.
You could have all of these symptoms or some of them. A person with bipolar disorder can sometimes feel very sad, but also full of energy. The surest sign of a depressed phase is that you feel depressed for a long time, usually at least 2 weeks. You may have these episodes rarely or several times a year.
Your doctor may prescribe several different types of medications, such as mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and antipsychotics. Psychotherapy can also help you manage stress and recognize your symptoms sooner. Another type of therapy, called cognitive behavioral therapy, teaches you good ways to manage the negative thoughts that accompany depression. However, over time, you'll notice things that cause changes in your mood and warning signs that depression might be starting.
When you catch these symptoms early, you can often avoid major depression. Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder May Vary. An individual with bipolar disorder may have manic episodes, depressive episodes, or “mixed episodes.”. A mixed episode has manic and depressive symptoms.
These mood episodes cause symptoms that last for a week or two, or sometimes longer. During an episode, symptoms last every day for most of the day. Feelings are intense and occur along with changes in behavior, energy levels, or activity levels that others notice. Despite many similarities, certain symptoms are more common in bipolar depression than in regular depression.
For example, bipolar depression is more likely to involve irritability, guilt, unpredictable mood swings, and feelings of restlessness. With bipolar depression, you may move and talk slowly, sleep a lot, and gain weight. In addition, you are more likely to develop psychotic depression, a condition in which you lose touch with reality and experience significant problems with work and social functioning. Common signs of a mixed episode include depression combined with agitation, irritability, anxiety, insomnia, distraction, and racing thoughts.
This leaflet describes the signs and symptoms, risk factors, and treatment options for bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depressive illness), a brain disorder that causes unusual changes in mood, energy, activity levels, and ability to perform daily tasks. The defining sign of bipolar I disorder is a manic episode that lasts at least a week, while people with bipolar II disorder or cyclothymia experience hypomanic episodes. Learning more about these differences can help scientists understand bipolar disorder and determine which treatments will work best. People with cyclothymia experience emotional ups and downs, but with less severe symptoms than bipolar I or II disorder.
If you have bipolar disorder, you may also have another medical condition that needs to be treated along with bipolar disorder. This is especially important when treating an initial episode of depression, since antidepressant medications can trigger a manic episode in people who are more likely to have bipolar disorder. People with bipolar disorder experience periods of unusually intense emotions, changes in sleep patterns and activity levels, and uncharacteristic behaviors, often without recognizing their potential harmful or undesirable effects. Mental health providers use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) to diagnose the type of bipolar disorder a person may be experiencing.
Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic-depressive disorder, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression). Some people with bipolar disorder develop “rapid cycles” in which they experience four or more episodes of mania or depression in a 12-month period. Not much research has been done on herbal or natural supplements and how they can affect bipolar disorder. Living with bipolar disorder is challenging, but with treatment, healthy coping skills, and a strong support system, you can live fully while managing your symptoms.
Despite the extremes of mood, people with bipolar disorder often don't recognize how much their emotional instability, their lives and the lives of their loved ones disturbs, and they don't get the treatment they need. Drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, and amphetamines can cause mania, while alcohol and tranquilizers can trigger depression. Most people associate bipolar disorder with mood ups and downs, but the disorder affects much more than that. .
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