Am I Bipolar?

 

There is a big difference between sadness and depression. Everyone feels sad now and then, you lose a job, a pet dies or a relationship falls apart. Depression is serious. It's a clinical, psychological condition marked by feelings of sadness, lack of confidence and melancholy. Unlike sadness or temporary feelings of grief, depression lingers, it doesn't go away by itself.

Read through the following questions.

 

Depression

 

• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness and/or helplessness

• suicide

• Restlessness or irritability

• Difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions

• Decreased energy or fatigue

• Loss of interest in everyday activities, including sex

• Persistent sadness,Thoughts of death or  anxiousness or emptiness

• Sleep problems including; insomnia, oversleeping or waking up too early

• Change in appetite or weight gain or loss

• Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism

 

Mania

 

• Staying up for long hours, feeling like you don't need any sleep.

• Extreme euphoria, like you are on top of the world, and could do anything

• Difficulty managing money, buy things you don't need

• Can't balance your checkbook and/or your credit cards are always max'd out

• Getting into trouble with the law, not counting traffic tickets

• Start new projects before you finish the last ones, and then nothing ever gets done

• Promiscuity - acting out sexually

• Get excited easily, talk too fast, people are asking you to repeat what you said, and you thought you were making perfect sense and telling the best jokes

• Get angry for no reason at all, sometimes over things that shouldn't really make you angry

 

IF YOU ANSWERED YES TO FOUR OR MORE OF THESE IN EITHER OR BOTH CATEGORIES, YOU SHOULD SEE A DOCTOR

OK, so now you have the clinical descriptions, you have the diagnostic criteria. And you have it in black and white. There is so much more to this complex and often discouraging illness. For all of the frustration, the pain, the sadness and the low self esteem. There is hope, it takes work, but it's worth it.

 

Out Of The Darkness is Hope for those of us who live with this illness or love someone who does. If you have questions about the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder, medication, diet and exercise or other information. If you are interested in booking a speaking event please let us know.

 

If you would like to know more about living with this illness. Click HERE