Symptoms Of Manic Depression

One mental illness that causes a mood disturbance is manic depression which is also called bipolar disorder. Symptoms Of manic depression can range from mild to severe, but must interfere with a person’s life to support a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

The symptoms of manic depression can be physical, psychological, and behavioral. Manic episodes can cause irritability or euphoria. Depression can cause sadness and feelings of hopelessness.

A decreased need for sleep, fatigue, changes in sex drive, changes in appetite, and fidgeting behavior are some physical symptoms of manic depression. The fidgeting behavior common during episodes of depression is clinically referred to as psychomotor agitation. During a depressive episode, the person may also experience slowed physical actions referred to as psychomotor retardation.

The changes in sex drive and appetite can be increases or decreases from the person’s normal levels. It is not uncommon for someone with bipolar disorder to experience increases in appetite and decreases in sex drive during a depressive episode only to have a decreased appetite and increase sex drive during a manic episode.

During a manic episode, the person may not become tired as usual and may feel as if they do not need to sleep. Depression can cause a person to have insomnia or to sleep more than usual.

Manic depression causes many cognitive symptoms. During depression, the person may have perceptions of worthlessness and have difficulty concentrating. An increased focus on goal oriented activities, flight of ideas or racing thoughts, and distractibility are common cognitive symptoms of manic depression during a manic episode.

A behavioral symptom of manic episodes is involvement in activities for pleasure without regard to any consequences. People in a manic episode are susceptible to uncharacteristic behavior such as spending sprees, gambling, drug use, and sexual indiscretions.

Unlike symptoms of mania, common symptoms of depression include a lack of the ability to feel pleasure. A person who is depressed may lose their ability to feel pleasure which is called anhedonia.

Manic depression can cause psychotic symptoms. Hallucinations and delusions caused by manic depression are related to the current mood disturbance of the individual.

For example, someone who has manic may have the delusion that they have a superpower related to feelings of euphoria. Suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts are severe symptoms of episodes of depression.If the symptoms of manic depression become bothersome, the person may need an adjustment in their medication to better control the symptoms.