What's the difference between a irritable moody person and a person with bipolar disorder?
In bipolar, you will see very obvious differences in the amount of sleep you need - when manic, maybe you need 2 hours of sleep a night, for weeks or months at a time, when hypomanic, perhaps 4 to 6 hours, something like that. I dont' mean insomnia, and I don't mean burning the candle at both ends, I mean, 2 hours is all the sleep you want or need, or even less! When down, most people with bipolar have dramatically increased sleep needs, like maybe sleep 12 hours or much, much more. Some people get insomnia instead. I have a lot of mixed moods going on all the time, and my sleep needs vary all the time now, but during my rare pure depressions or hypomanias (now that I'm older, it is mostly mixed moods/agitated depression) I still have that very clear change in sleep needs. PMS and seasonal affective disorder are other possibilities to look at, and probably others. The fact your mom has bipolar gives you a 1 in 5 chance of bipolar, and a 1 in 5 chance of major depression, instead. During a bipolar depression, you wouldn't be functioning - if you are still able to do your chores and get to work during an episode, it probably isn't bipolar. Most people have discrete episodes, but many people with bipolar have some symptoms between episodes. Depression can cause irritability, too. maybe you just don't handle stress well - exercise helps a lot, as does meditation, which is easy to learn. I just talked this over with my therapist, who has a PhD and many years' experience, and is pretty smart, to boot - she thinks most people with a bipolar diagnosis who do not have the dramatic sleep cycle changes are misdiagnosed. all the best! PS some meds can cause irritability and moodiness - birth control pills or depo-provera often cause depression, I personally had a lot of trouble with benzos and ambien, and there are many other meds that can cause problems.
Women's Health: What is the evolutionary purpose of PMS?
Human bodies are ridiculously complex. As a result, when general systems changes are made, some folks have one reaction, others none, and some have really bad reactions. PMS is not one thing - it's a name we give to a number of the experiences/reactions before or during menstruation. Acne is a reaction your body has to other things going on in it that are completely totally beyond your control. So are asthma, hypothyroidism and a host of other diseases. So is PMS.Clearly there is no advantage or any kind for women to be in pain or discomfort before or during menses, but we are. And every single woman you meet will have different experiences. I know women with debilitating cramps, others with none. My body cycles through a number of possible reactions and almost always throws in a migraine for 3 days for good measure. So if you have a friend who has a light period or no cramps, don't expect another friend to be the same. And don't assume that your girlfriend (should you have one) has the exact same reaction every month.It's not about evolution any more than pimples are. Evolution is not a fanatasy sports team that picks and chooses the best lineup or a Randian policy. Evolution is the what we call the process of things changing over time to adapt to an environment. Evolution does not care if individuals have an advantage, it is the process by which things change - whether it is a useful change or not, whether they thrive or die out.
I think i have bipolar disorder, how do i know?
Bipolar disorder is so severe that it's disabling during an episode, which generally lasts weeks to months. When depressed, people sleep 12 to 16 hours a day or even more (I think it is possible to get insomnia instead, but most people with bipolar get hypersomnia) when manic, a person sleeps say 2 hours a night or less, or in hypomania, maybe 4 or 6 hours anight, and that's all the sleep they want or need - it's not insomnia, you truly don't need more sleep than that. In a bipolar depression, you would be missing a lot of school, flunking classes because you are too depressed to study at all or write a paper, etc., when before, maybe you were a good student. You gave no symptoms of mania in your question - bipolar requires that you have had a manic episode. If you are still able to function, it is probably mild to moderate depression, or teen hormones, which can be VERY bad sometimes, PMS problems, which are a terrible problem for some women, or perhaps the weather has been much more overcast than usual - people can really get blue when they don't get any sunlight. Some medications can cause depression problems, such as birth control pills and blood pressure pills and others. Street drugs and alcohol can also cause depression problems, and especially agitation and/or anger problems. Some people are really sensitive to caffeine. Try increasing exercise and social support, make sure you get 9 hours of good quality sleep every night and make sure you are not listening to depressing music or watching/reading tragedies etc. If you still feel down after doing these things, talk to a counselor at school to get more help. You don't want to go the route of meds unless you have serious mental illness - antidepressants have been shown to be only placebos for mild to moderate depression, and they have nasty side effects. Drugs for bipolar are quite toxic and have even worse side effects, but if you do end up having bipolar, you'll need them, because the illness is worse than the meds. Bipolar is getting overdiagnosed in kids right now, big time, because big pharma is making lots of money off those drugs, and pushing hard for docs to diagnose. Most times, it turns out to be a phase, or an abusive home environment, etc. So . . . do some stuff that is good for you, and pay attention to how you do, without being obsessive about it. If no improvement - ask for help at school.
Mood Swings Affecting Relationships?
Hi! It sounds to me as if you have symptoms of bi-polar disorder. I have the same exact symptoms. I didn't know what was wrong with me either. All I knew was that I was pushing the people I loved away. I could not maintain a relationship with anybody because I was so angry and jealous. I isolated myself away from people constantly. One minute I was fine--I wanted to go out--then the next minute, I started getting angry and withdrawn, then I'd start to feel bad about it and expect people to get over my actions, and when they didn't I got mad again, and the cycle continued. Finally, I found a really supportive man who didn't give a damn about how I acted. He encouraged me to see a counselor. From there, I found out I was bi-polar. I told my immediate family, but they didn't believe me. I just take it that they don't understand or they wouldn't expect to have a family member who has mental problems (they're in denial and think it's "a phase"). Mood swings are usually caused by environmental factors or chemical imbalances in the brain. A lot of people have mood swings, but when they're frequent in the same day or week, then bi-polar is a possibility. Mood swings are apparent when people get older, go through traumatic experiences, or through heredity. If you feel like you need to talk someone, see if you can visit with a counselor or a mental health specialist so you can get the answers that you need. It's a possibility that you may not be bi-polar and just need some minor therapy to get your mood back on track. I think you're going to be Okay; You are a good, productive citizen--you are NOT crazy--don't listen to that crap because I know you may hear stuff like that; we just have to look over ignorant people...the support that you have,--stick with it and go from there. There are people out there who care about you...Live your life to the fullest and everything will fall into place--just wait and see...
Am I bypolar?
I agree that it might just be a teen thing. but also you should maybe go to a psychiatrist if you really think you have it. i have recently been diagnosed with bipolar 2. since you spelled bipolar wrong, you obviously dont know too much about it. But bipolar 1 is way more serious. Most bipolar 1 people are schizophrenic etc. things as serious as that. Bipolar 2 should still be medicated but it is often mistaken for depression (mine was). here is signs of Bipolar 2 disorder: -major depressive episodes -hypomanic episode -manic episode -psychotic disorder (if you dont know what these are you may want to look them up) you hit a lot of highs and lows. you cant really control your mood. it is a VERY uncomfortable state to be in. before i was diagnosed my mood would changed from incredibly depressed, to extremely elated, to agitated, to very very angry and it would change sometime with in seconds often. If you arent experiencing anything like this then you probably just dont have it.
Is always feeling irritated and agitated a sign of depression?
no, maybe you need to do sports and exercise. I feel this way if I don't move my butt!
Whats the difference between mood swings and bipolar?
'Bi-Polar Disorder' is the "Flavor-of-the Month" diagnosis these days, replacing ADHD and "Clinical Depression", both among self-diagnosers and among many less-than-conscientious professionals (who are often influenced by perks from the drug industry). If you are conscious of your moods, it's unlikely you suffer from the illness. Although the condition certainly does exist, it is rare. What distinguishes a Bi-polar (or Manic-Depressive) individual is the manic aspect of the disease (usually acute) in it's true form. Euphoric feeings grow over a period of days and lead to uncontrollable and often destructive behavior. Symptoms include real promiscuity, hyper-vocalization (incessant chatter), grandiose thinking, spending sprees, etc. Much more likely you are suffering from some anxiety, which can come out from time to time in unexpected and uncomfortable ways. I won't be patronizing and say "It's just part of growing up". Maybe some counseling would be a good idea. But try to stay way from prescription (and 'recreational') drugs and those who offer them easily. Maybe a talk with a psychologist at school or in private practice would be a good thing.