Do you ever feel as though you have no control over your emotions? It can be difficult to pinpoint why you may be having so many ups and downs, especially when there is no specific trigger. Doing a Bipolar Disorder Quiz can help indicating if you suffer from this illness.
Bipolar disorder is a life-long mental illness characterized by extreme changes in your mood (very high highs and very low lows). Those who have bipolar disorder have periods of extreme highs, or mania, and extreme low periods of depression. In some cases, your mood may feel both elated and depressed at once.
The Common Bipolar Disorder Effects: Mania and Depression
Manic episodes
In periods of mania, you may feel:
- Very happy and excited
- Irritated with people who are not as optimistic as you
- Full of energy
- Unable or unwilling to sleep
- Full of new exciting ideas
- More important than usual
When you’re in the midst of a manic episode for the first time, it can be difficult to realize that there is anything wrong. Oftentimes, you only realize there may be something wrong once it is pointed out to you by friends, family, or colleagues.
Depressive episodes
In periods of depression, some mental and physical symptoms are:
Mental symptoms
- Feelings of unhappiness
- Losing interest in things that you used to be interested in
- Being unable to enjoy life
- Finding it hard to make simple decisions
- Feeling very tired
- Feeling restless and agitated
- Loss of confidence
- Feeling useless, inadequate, and hopeless
- Feeling more irritable than usual
- Having suicide ideations
Physical symptoms
- Loss of appetite and weight
- Difficult in getting to sleep
- Waking up earlier than usual
- Constipation
- Loss of sex drive
Bipolar disorder: types and symptoms
Bipolar I
In bipolar 1, manic phases tend to be much more pronounced. Your behaviors and moods are extreme and can quickly escalate out of control. If left untreated, medical attention is usually required. To have bipolar 1, a person must have manic periods which:
- Include shifts in mood or behaviors that are unlike your usual behavior
- Must be present most of the day
- Must last at least one week, or be so extreme that you need to be hospitalized
People with bipolar 1 also have depressive episodes, but a depressive period isn’t required to make the diagnosis.
Bipolar II
Bipolar II is the most common type of bipolar disorder. This type involves depressive symptoms, but the manic symptoms are less severe and are called hypomania. Hypomania becomes worse without treatment, and the person can become extremely manic or depressed. Bipolar II is difficult for people to see in themselves, therefore it is often up to loved ones to encourage them to seek help.
Treatment for bipolar disorder
Managing bipolar disorder starts with the right treatment. Bipolar disorder is often treated with a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Most people with bipolar disorder usually find personalized medication regimens and psychotherapy schedules that need to be maintained throughout their life. Along with medication and therapy, there are many self-help steps you can take to help to reduce your symptoms and stay in control of your life:
- Talk to your loved ones about how you’re feeling
- Get 8 hours of sleep
- Attend a support group
- Exercise
- Do something creative
- Take time to relax
Bipolar Disorder Quiz Questions
Along with considering the symptoms and signs of bipolar disorder, here is a bipolar disorder quiz with some questions you can ask yourself to assess whether or not you may be struggling with bipolar disorder:
- At times I am much more talkative or speak much faster than usual
- There have been times when I was much more active or did more than usual
- I get into moods where I feel very “sped-up” or irritable
- There have been times when I have felt both high and low at the same time
- I have had a higher sex drive than usual recently
- My confidence ranges from great self-doubt to great overconfidence
- There have been extreme variations in the quantity or quality of my work
- For no apparent reason, I sometimes have been very angry or hostile
- I have periods of mental dullness and other periods of very creative thinking
- At times I am very interested in being with people and at other times I want to be alone
- I have had periods of great optimism and other periods of extreme pessimism
- I have had periods of excessive crying and periods of excessive laughing
This quiz is not meant to diagnose you. Only a trained doctor or mental health care professional can determine the best steps for you. Please seek out a doctor for additional support and treatment options.
If you answered “yes” to most of the questions in our bipolar disorder quiz above, you may have bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a chronic illness. This means that learning how to cope and maintain your desired lifestyle takes work. Design for Recovery can offer you a safe environment to develop skills to cope with your new normal. Along with your own schedule of medication and therapy, Design for Recovery can provide you with peer support and structure to learn how to live with your bipolar disorder.
