Four symptoms of bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder involves extreme mood swings far beyond the usual ups and downs that most of us experience. It is a mental health condition involving extreme mood changes, including periods of highs, lows, and periods when you are stable.
Bipolar disorder cannot be cured, but there are strategies that can help manage the symptoms. Let’s look at four of these symptoms.
Symptoms
- Manic or hypomanic episodes involve feeling high, with feelings of excitement, confidence, or joy. You can lose your social inhibitions or take part in risky behaviours that threaten personal safety. Your sleep may be disrupted, and you may be restless. After these episodes, you may feel shame.
- Periods of feeling low, or depressive episodes, may last for up to two weeks. Feelings may include irritability, tearfulness, hopelessness, or low confidence. During depressive episodes, there may be suicidal feelings. You may have problems sleeping or connecting with people, or you may be prone to abusing drugs or alcohol. Self-harm may also be evident.
- Mixed episodes are where there are symptoms of feeling high and feeling low at the same time. These times can feel very difficult to cope with, as there is a struggle to regulate emotions or identify what you need. You are more likely to act on suicidal feelings during these stages.
- Psychotic symptoms are not experienced by all but can include hallucinations, hearing voices, or feelings of paranoia.
Mental health training courses
People should have an awareness of how best to support someone who suffers from bipolar disorder or other mental health issues. Those who work in a role in which they connect with people can benefit from training; in turn, this allows them to deliver better care, support, and safeguarding.
Expert providers in mental health training courses Swansea, such as www.tidaltraining.co.uk/mental-health-training-courses/swansea/, deliver first-class material that enables people to better support those suffering from bipolar disorders or other mental health issues.
Mental health training courses include options such as eating disorders awareness, challenging behaviour management, drug and alcohol abuse, and OCD management.