Symptoms of bipolar disorder

Symptoms of mania can include:

• Feeling happy even when things aren’t going well for you
• Feeling more positive about yourself than usual
• Feeling more active, energetic or restless
• Being irritable, argumentative and aggressive
• Talking very quickly, jumping from one idea to another, racing thoughts
• Easily distracted and struggling to keep focus on one thing
• Not being able to sleep, or feeling like you don’t need any sleep
• Making decisions you wouldn’t usually make, such as gambling, excessive spending, being sexually promiscuous, going on spending sprees and using drugs or alcohol
• Thinking you can do more than you can
• Being more social than usual

Hypomania

Hypomania is similar to mania but has milder symptoms. It can be more manageable, but it still has a noticeable effect on you day-to-day. Hypomania may last for a shorter period of time.

Symptoms of depression can include:

• Low mood, feeling hopeless and negative
• Having less energy, feeling tired or slow
• Feeling guilty and worthless
• Being less interested in things you normally like doing
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering and making decisions
• Feeling restless or irritable
• Sleeping too much or not being able to sleep
• Feeling more or less hungry than usual, losing or gaining weight when you do not mean to
• Suicidal thoughts

Symptoms of psychosis can also happen during episodes of mania or depression such as:

• Hallucinations – Hearing, seeing or feeling things that aren’t there
• Delusions – Believing things that aren’t true and that other people find unusual

These experiences can feel very real, which can make it difficult for you to understand people’s worries about you.