Anger and irritability are common symptoms of bipolar disorder. While anger is a normal response that many people feel at moments in their life, a person with bipolar disorder will be more vulnerable to impulsive and often irrational outbursts.
You may experience symptoms of depression, plus mania or hypomania at the same time. For example, you may feel very energised and impulsive, while feeling upset or tearful. Or you may feel very agitated or irritable. You may also experience highs and lows very quickly after the other, within the same day or hour.
Most bipolar patients spontaneously report having excessively strong emotional reactions, even between episodes. They often say that they are more sensitive than other people.
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).
Signs of A Bipolar Meltdown
A burst of energy. Feeling irritable. Extremely happy and euphoric mood. Speaking fast.
Bipolar psychosis happens when a person experiences an episode of severe mania or depression, along with psychotic symptoms and hallucinations. The symptoms tend to match a person's mood. During a manic phase, they may believe they have special powers. This type of psychosis can lead to reckless or dangerous behavior.
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. Those angry emotions, in turn, can cause aggressive and inappropriate behaviors.
The Relationship Between Bipolar Disorder & Anger. Bipolar disorder is characterized by frequent mood cycles, fluxing between mania and depression. While anger isn't always present, people with this frustrating condition may find they quickly experience angry outbursts when they feel agitated, irritated, or annoyed.
These intense mood swings can be incredibly distressing and leave a person feeling that they have little to no control over their emotions. This bipolar rage - when uncontrolled - can then have a huge impact on a person's friendships, family life and career.
People with bipolar disorder can experience extreme mood shifts. In many cases, people will alternate between highs (manias) and lows (depressions) with intervals of stable mood. Some of the most common symptoms of mania include: extremely elevated mood.
However, many people with bipolar disorder are also highly sensitive, so the challenges that come with high sensitivity can make coping with their mental illness even more difficult, especially when stress levels become overwhelming.
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.
People with bipolar disorder have extreme highs and lows. Along with these unpredictable mood swings may come outbursts of emotion, including crying.
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.
A bipolar person may avoid relationships because they don't feel good enough for other people. Sometimes these feelings come on quickly and cause those with mental health conditions to push away others in existing relationships. This can lead to social isolation.
Stress chemicals build up in your body and crying can actually help your body get rid of them. So it seems natural that with bipolar disorder, our sensitivity to stress alone could cause more frequent sob-fests.
Shutting down
It is easy to become overwhelmed by the emotional rollercoaster caused by mood swings and other symptoms of Bipolar Disorder. A typical response, particularly immediately following an episode, is to shut down and temporarily avoid or ignore everything outside oneself in order to self-regulate.
You can be physically aggressive. Kicking things, slamming doors, punching walls, pushing against someone a bit too hard. (Note: if there is a lot of energy around these symptoms, there is a chance you are experiencing mixed or dysphoric mania, not angry depression. See more below.)
Narcissism is not a symptom of bipolar disorder, and most people with bipolar disorder do not have narcissistic personality disorder.
They may have angry outbursts, say things they don't mean, yell, or even overreact to a situation that makes them angry, but these are all normal expressions of anger that everyone experiences at one point or another.
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.
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.
Experts are careful to distinguish between the odd angry outburst and the long-simmering anger and rage of bipolar anger, sometimes lasting over several days during both manic episodes and irritated states of depression.
Bipolar disorder can also present with anxiety or episodes of psychosis, during which a person loses touch with reality. When people display symptoms of psychosis, healthcare professionals may be unsure whether they have a type of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.
Arguments with your spouse, chilly weather, grief — a number of scenarios may provoke bipolar mania or depression. Certain medications, seasonal changes, and alcohol could trigger bipolar mood episodes, experts say. Here's why. Bipolar disorder is characterized by unusual shifts in mood and energy.