Do I Have Manic Depression? Signs, Symptoms And Treatment

Manic depression information are readily available nowadays, online and offline. One can easily do his or her own research and get to know more about this common disorder. To find out if you are manic depressive, you could complete a manic depression quiz and compute the points to get you a rough idea, whether you are showing signs of manic depressive disease.

Manic depression or bipolar disorder is manifested by highs and lows. When a patient is on the manic side, there is a persistent feeling of euphoria or irritability associated with lack of need for sleep, excessive energy, agitation, fast and loud speech, increase in goal-directed activities such as spending sprees and establishing businesses with no appropriate plan, and hypersexuality.

Patients with this disorder develop poor judgment and impulsivity. They become irritable and can lash out easily even if not provoked. Some patients have delusions of grandeur. When this happens, patients think that they have special powers, talents, and influence.

When not manic, patients either feel normal or depressed. Depression in bipolar disorder has the same manifestation as major depression that consists of feelings of sadness associated with neurovegetative signs and symptoms such as inability to sleep, eat, and concentrate. Energy level is also impaired. In addition, patients experience a feeling of hopelessness, worthlessness, and helplessness. Suicidal ideation may ensue.

Who gets manic depression? For individuals who develop mania, does it always mean that they suffer from bipolar disorder?

Not necessarily, because mania can be caused by various medical and neurologic conditions. For instance, multiple sclerosis and stroke can present with manic symptoms. Moreover, medications and street drugs may precipitate mania. Steroids, cocaine, and amphetamine are some examples. Even some antidepressants can induce mania.

So when a person shows mania, the physician usually does intensive evaluation to rule out medical, neurologic, and medication-induced conditions before diagnosing manic depression. This process is important because the treatment varies depending upon the cause. Once other conditions are ruled out, then can manic depression diagnosis be deemed correct and treated accordingly.

Manic depression in children are common nowadays, children as young as seven suffer from manic depression and it happens about 1 in every 200 young people, research shows. If someone is diagnosed with manic depression, on top of manic depression drugs, the physician will also encourage the family to give lots of support emotionally and physically as part of the treatment. Many experts somehow also find that by joining manic depression support groups can help the sufferers to understand their illness better by gaining experiences from the more senior members of the support group.

Next article: Who Gets Manic Depression

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