Bipolar, once referred to as manic-depressive is a mental health issue that affects millions of people.  Individuals with Bipolar Disorder have mood swings that vacillate between manic episodes and depressive episodes.  These mood swings can occur very rapidly, or they may occur over an extended period of time.  

Signs of Mania

During a manic episode an individual might experience the following symptoms: 

• Extreme Happiness:  Individuals in a manic episode often experience a sense of euphoria.  They may feel like they are on top of the world and can accomplish anything.  
• Risky Behavior:  Individuals in manic episodes often engage in risky behavior.  This could be quitting a job, having sex with multiple partners, drinking binges, taking trips on the spur of the moment, spending all their money, gambling, or other unusual risky, or impulsive actions.
• Not Sleeping: Individuals in manic episodes often go long periods of time without sleeping.  This can lead to confusion and disorganized thinking.  
• Easily Distracted:  Individuals in a manic episode often have difficulty concentrating.  They may become involved in multiple activities and jump from one thought to the next.  They may seem restless or impulsive.
• Over-Confident:  Individuals in manic episodes often feel like they can accomplish anything.  They may attempt to start new businesses or chase “pie in the sky” ideas without regard to the potential risks or challenges that are obviously present.  

Signs of Depression

During a depressive episode an individual might experience the following symptoms:

• Sadness or Crying:  During a depressive episode, individuals often feel sad and are unable to enjoy themselves.  They may experience excessive crying or cry for no identifiable reason. They may also feel worthless and hopeless.  
• Excessive Sleep:  Someone suffering from depression may sleep a lot more, stay in bed for hours if not days, and suffer from fatigue with no energy to do anything.
• Withdrawal and Isolation:  Individuals in a depressive episode often stop socializing, no longer want to go out, stop communicating, and prefer to spend time alone, away from friends and family.
• Lack of Interest:  Individuals in a depressive episode lose their interest in all activities.  This could be loss of interest in work, social functions, hobbies, art, or anything else that they once really enjoyed. 
• Problems Concentrating:  Someone suffering from depression often have difficulty focusing on even small tasks.  They struggle with making decisions and have difficulty remembering things.
• Thoughts of Dying or Suicide:  Individuals in a depressive episode often have thoughts of suicide.  In fact, the deeper the depression, the more frequent and intense the thoughts of suicide tend to be.