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Periods of depression followed by periods of mania are what describe bipolar disorder.

Once called manic depression, doctors in the late 1990s changed the name but the signs remain the same.

People who have bipolar disorder have periods of depression and mania. Some people also have hallucinations and delusions. The amount of episodes, and how often they occur, depend on the person.

The following is a list of some of the signs of depression and mania:

 

Depression

• Loss of interest
• Profound and intense sadness
• Numbness
• Insomnia
• No appetite
• Self-loathing
• Low self-esteem
• Low energy
• Fatigue
• Hopelessness
• Feeling of unworthiness
• Loss of interest in things they usually find interesting
• Withdrawal from social relationships, activities
• Feelings of guilt
• Feelings of letting people down
• Change in appetite, eating more or less than usual
• Change in sleep patterns, sleeping more or less than usual

 

Karen Liberman, executive director of the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario in midtown Toronto, said signs of depression are easily recognized and if people suffer for two weeks or more they should make an appointment with their family doctor.

Celine Bart, public education for the Canadian Mental Health Association, Toronto branch, said while we all feel sad from time to time, people with bipolar disorder feel intense, more extreme sadness.

 

Mania

Mania is a "bit trickier (to diagnose) because a true manic person almost becomes larger than life, they feel like they can conquer the world, that anything is possible," Liberman said.

 

Some symptoms include:
• Promiscuity
• Social filters go down
• Frequent spending
• Larger than life
• Feelings as though you can conquer the world and anything is possible
• All sensors are turned off
• Feelings of grandiosity
• Optimism
• Change in eating and sleeping patterns

 

Bart said people in a manic episode "talk about it as a high, not a drug-induced high, but a sense of euphoria."

She said a person in a manic phase can go four days without sleeping as they have a lot of energy.

"People when manic are interested in just about everything."

She said in this stage, people often get involved in projects at work, are multitasking and speak quickly.

The also have poor judgment, spend money they don't have or doing things they normally wouldn't.