Bipolar is a serious illness thought to be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain which causes severe mood swings. These usually last several weeks and are far beyond what most of us experience. They are:

• Low state of deep depression / despair
• High or ‘manic’ psychosis (feeling extreme happiness or elation
• Mixed where the person experiences symptoms of both depression and mania at the same time

During a period of depression, symptoms may include:

• Feeling sad, hopeless or irritable most of the time
• Lacking energy
• Difficulty concentrating and remembering things
• Loss of interest in everyday activities
• Feelings of emptiness or worthlessness
• Feelings of guilt and despair
• Feeling pessimistic about everything
• Self-doubt
• Being delusional, having hallucinations and disturbed or illogical thinking
• Lack of appetite
• Difficulty sleeping
• Waking up early
• Suicidal thoughts

Manic episodes can last from 2 weeks to 4-5 months if left untreated. The manic phase of bipolar disorder may include:

• Feeling very happy, elated or overjoyed
• Excessive / rapid speech
• Feeling full of energy
• Inflated sense of self-important
• Feeling full of great new ideas and having important plans
• Being easily distracted
• Being easily irritated or agitated
• Lack of sleeping and not eating
• Excessive risk taking – such as spending large sums of money on expensive and sometimes unaffordable items, overuse of addictive substances such as drugs and alcohol
• Making decisions or saying things that are out of character and that others see as being risky or harmful
• Acting on impulse

Bipolar is affected by both environmental and genetic factors which occur throughout a person’s life. Stress and hormone changes can be environmental factors and a person’s family history can be genetic. There has to be factors from both aspects for a person to develop Bipolar.

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