Paranoia — a belief that people are following you or conspiring against you — is a symptom of psychosis in bipolar disorder that can be managed medically and with other strategies.
The known maladaptive types of coping mechanisms, or negative coping skills, evident in BD patients are “… rumination, catastrophism, self-blame, substance use, risk-taking, behavioral disengagement, problem-direct coping, venting of emotions, or mental disengagement” (Apaydin & Atagun, 2018).
Early in the development of mania or hypomania, paranoid thinking is often evident, and may manifest as suspiciousness of others. This suspiciousness is often based on very real events and a history of bad feelings between the person experiencing mania, and the target of his or her paranoia.
The fear of never being stable.
Thus this leads to a feeling of being unfit for this world — that you weren't meant for it because you can't cope with life due to something you didn't choose and can't change; that you're stuck having to explain yourself to others and even yourself.
Obsessive thinking is a fairly common but rarely discussed symptom of bipolar. We look at ways you can take charge when intrusive thoughts take hold. Getting something stuck in your head—the catchy chorus of a song, a gruesome image from the news—can be annoying for anyone.
Thoughts such as suicidal ideation, self-blame and others are common in bipolar disorder. So if we understand that thoughts can be dysregulated in bipolar disorder, it stands to reason that intrusive thoughts may be one of the types of dysregulated thoughts that we may have.
It can also be caused by a variety of factors, including insomnia, a severe reaction to a medication, brain toxicity due to drug or alcohol use, or different types of poisoning. Clinically, paranoia is often described as a way of thinking or an anxious state that reaches the level of a delusion.
Bipolar disorder can cause your mood to swing from an extreme high to an extreme low. Manic symptoms can include increased energy, excitement, impulsive behaviour, and agitation. Depressive symptoms can include lack of energy, feeling worthless, low self-esteem and suicidal thoughts.
It's hard because it may feel like your future will be different from what you imagined. It might feel like you won't be able to overcome your symptoms, or that others might define you by your mental health condition.
Anger is not a symptom that everyone with bipolar experiences, but it is not uncommon either. Mania in particular tends to trigger aggressive emotions and anger. The racing thoughts and high energy levels you experience can leave you feeling angry, irritable, and frustrated.
Manipulation isn't a formal symptom of bipolar disorder, although some people with the condition may exhibit this behavior. In some cases, manipulative behavior is a result of living with another mental health condition, such as personality disorders, substance use disorders, or trauma.
Looking back at what happened during a mood episode can stir powerful emotions. It's common to feel embarrassed, humiliated, ashamed, even worthless. There's often regret, sharpened by fear that you've alienated people in your life.
Most of the time, you simply don't know when your thoughts have become paranoid. Friends, loved ones, or medical professionals often have to point it out and try to help you get treatment.
Inappropriate (incongruous) affect involves exhibiting incorrect emotional responses for a given context. Symptoms of disorganisation have been identified as risk factors for poor illness outcome, and have a significant negative effect on a person's day-to-day functioning and quality of life.
Gambling and hypersexuality are some of the risky behaviors linked to manic episodes. Impulsivity is the root behind many of these reckless actions. Spending money without even thinking is another problem when it comes to manic episodes.
However, relationship breakups can be especially difficult for people with bipolar disorder, not just because of the emotional instability that ensues, but also because of the change in routine, stress, and loss that can trigger either mania or depression.
The most common reason that people with bipolar disorder refuse treatment is that they don't believe they have a problem in the first place. This lack of awareness regarding their mental condition is known as anosognosia.
Just as intact sensory integration can help improve our understanding of others, abnormal integration can impair it. Research shows at least some people with bipolar disorder have difficulty recognising other people's facial and vocal emotional expressions.
Bipolar disorder may make it more difficult for you to interpret people's emotions. Missed clues make it harder for you to empathize when others feel happy or sad. If someone is feeling troubled, you may lack enough empathy to be moved to help.
A person with bipolar disorder may be unaware they're in the manic phase. After the episode is over, they may be shocked at their behaviour. But at the time, they may believe other people are being negative or unhelpful. Some people with bipolar disorder have more frequent and severe episodes than others.
Disrupted, disorganized, or hard-to-understand speech or thought patterns. Hallucinations (seeing things that other people do not see or recognize) Hearing voices. Having fixed, false beliefs.
When bipolars become jealous, jealousy becomes magnified by the symptoms of our illnesses. We can create whole imaginary scenes about the perceived injustice. Anger and agitation caress us instead of gratitude. Remembering to practice gratitude for the real things in our lives can keep the jealous bug away.
There are a number of possible reasons why someone with bipolar would push others away. This tends to happen during depressive episodes, but it can happen when they're manic or symptom-free, as well. It can be painful when you're shut out, but it's not your fault.
The duration of bipolar delusions may be dependent on the individual's current mood episode. For example, delusions are common in manic episodes. According to 2021 research , manic episodes could continue from 4-13 months if not treated.