Bipolar disorder symptoms in females and males may look different. Women are more likely to have depressive episodes, and doctors often misdiagnose bipolar disorder as depression. Women are also more likely to experience other physical and mental health issues, rapid cycling, and mixed mania symptoms.
Bipolar I (pronounced “bipolar one”) disorder is the most severe type of bipolar disorder. It affects women and men equally, but it is often diagnosed later in life for women than for men. Bipolar I disorder causes severe swings in mood and energy, from highs (manic episodes) to lows (depressive episodes).
Considered in more detail, the female bipolar patient face has the following features: the nose is turned up, wider at the base, shorter with a recessed nasal bridge; the mouth is wider and set forward, with thinner lips; the chin is set higher and forward; the mandible is displaced upwards; the cheeks are displaced ...
Grandiosity and overconfidence. Easy tearfulness, frequent sadness. Needing little sleep to feel rested. Uncharacteristic impulsive behavior.
A stressful circumstance or situation often triggers the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Examples of stressful triggers include: the breakdown of a relationship. physical, sexual or emotional abuse.
When someone with bipolar disorder is having a manic episode, impulsive, reckless sexual behaviors and significantly increased sex drive are quite common. Such hypersexual behavior is often a warning sign of a manic episode.
To diagnose bipolar disorder, a doctor performs a physical exam, asks about your symptoms, and recommends blood testing to determine if another condition, such as hypothyroidism, is causing your symptoms. If the doctor does not find an underlying cause of your symptoms, he or she performs a psychological evaluation.
A person with bipolar disorder may disagree with their partner more easily during a manic episode. Risk taking behaviors, such as spending sprees or binge drinking, may happen during a manic episode. These behaviors may create tension within a relationship.
Bipolar disorder can be confused with other conditions, such as depression, schizophrenia, BPD, anxiety, and ADHD. Detecting and diagnosing bipolar disorder may take some time. But getting a correct, early diagnosis often results in better outcomes.
“When you're in a hypomanic or manic state, you're also more likely to feel you're in love,” says Haase. “You may then act on that feeling when making major long-term life decisions, not understanding your state had something to do with what you were feeling.”
Although bipolar disorder can occur at any age, typically it's diagnosed in the teenage years or early 20s. Symptoms can vary from person to person, and symptoms may vary over time.
Signs of A Bipolar Meltdown
A burst of energy. Feeling irritable. Extremely happy and euphoric mood. Speaking fast.
Answer questions honestly. But don't argue or debate with a person during a manic episode. Avoid intense conversation. Don't take comments or behavior personally.
But what is often not so apparent is the lesser-known side of a destructive manic episode: Dysphoric mania. Dysphoria in bipolar disorder is characterized by increased energy and activity, as seen in euphoria, but the mood is dominated by excessive and persistent irritability.
It's common for someone with bipolar disorder to hurt and offend their partner. When someone is first diagnosed, there are often relationship issues that need to be addressed. Couples counseling can help you: Understand that there's an illness involved in the hurtful behavior.
Speech Disruptions. Speech disruptions are probably the easiest way to recognize a manic episode. A person may be described as having a "motor mouth" and be difficult or even impossible to interrupt.
Bipolar disorder affects the thinner cortical gray matter in the frontal, temporal, and parietal regions of both brain hemispheres, and also the hippocampus.
Many people with bipolar disorder don't have high levels of social support because depressive episodes can lead to them to shut themselves away and manic episodes can lead them to push people away, making it difficult to get a good support system in place.