The symptoms of manic depression are quite wide ranging. They normally include large mood swings, ranging from an extreme high, occasionally with irritability, to an extremely low and hopeless mood and back again. In between these two poles of mood are periods of normal mood. As a ratio, the low and depressive mood is most common at a ratio of 3 to 1 manic, or high, mood.
Manic Depression Symptoms - Manic Episode
When a person has symptoms of manic depression and they experience "mania" it is known as a manic episode.
A manic episode is usually characterized by these manic depression symptoms:
* An extreme increase of energy, increased participation in physical and mental activities or restlessness
* An extreme high or euphoria and an overly good mood.
* Heightened irritability
* Fast talking and occasionally jumping from on topic to the next as a result of ideas and thoughts racing through the individuals mind
* A reduction in concentration levels and being distracted very easily
* Not needing a lot of sleep
* Egomania and a belief in one's abilities and powers regardless of how unrealistic they may be.
* A lack of good judgment
* Spending money regardless of whether it is available to spend or not
* The abnormal behavior lasts for a long period of time
* An increase in sexual drive
* Abusing drugs, in particular alcohol, cocaine and medications to aid sleep
* Aggressive, invasive or confrontational behavior
* Denying that there is something wrong
The diagnosis of a manic episode mostly occurs in an individual when there are three or more manic depression symptoms and they are accompanied by an elevated mood. Then again, if the mood is primarily characterized by high irritability then it must be accompanied by another four symptoms. In either case, the manic depression symptoms must be noticeable for most of the day, nearly every day for at least a week.
Manic Depression Symptoms - Depressive Episode
During a depressive episode, the manic depression symptoms may include:
* Relentlessly feeling sad or empty
* High levels of anxiety
* Feeling hopeless/pessimistic, Dwelling on negative thoughts
* Feeling guilty/worthless
* A lack of motivation and/or energy and feeling like there is nothing worth making an effort for
* No interest in activities usually found pleasurable
* Low or no energy
* Feeling like you are being slowed down or fatigued
* A loss of memory and trouble concentrating on one thing at a time
* Can't make decisions
Annoyance, rage or petulance
* Having not enough or too much sleep
* Appetite change and/or weight loss/gain without any explanation
* Physical symptoms that are not caused by physical illness or injury, such as aches and pains
* Suicidal or death related thoughts, possible suicide attempts
A person in a depressive episode who is suffering with manic depression symptoms needs all the help they can get. Throughout the depressive episode, there is a greater possibility of suicide and it is strongly advised that professional help is found as soon as a person starts talking about suicide.
Bipolar disorder is yet another name for manic depressive illness. This stage usually refers to as an individual’s mood that shifts between different ‘poles’ of mania and depression.
Manic Depression is not something to be taken lightly. It is a serious disorder and needs serious professional and personal care.
Manic depression can affect both men and women. There is no specific age at which this disease usually starts. However, experts believe that the onset of this disease takes place in late adolescence.
This disorder can be found among people irrespective of their age, race, social classes and ethnic groups. Medical experts feel that this disease has a genetic link and even tends to run in the families.
The disease does not only affect the patient but also the person who attends to him or her. The immediate family circle is known to suffer a lot.
A) Here are some of the symptoms related to this disorder:
i)Unrealistic beliefs in one’s abilities and powers; Denial that anything is wrong
j)Lasting period of behavior that’s quite different from usual
B) The symptoms for low or ‘depressive’ stage of manic depression:
a)Thoughts of death; Thoughts of suicide; Suicide attempts
b)Restlessness; Irritability
c)Feeling of hopelessness; Extreme pessimism
d)Sleeping too much; Inhibits to sleep or insomnia
e)Difficulty in concentrating; Lack of memory
f)Lack of energy; Loss of interest in pleasure activities
g)Change in appetite; Weight loss without making any efforts; Weight gain
h)Difficulty in making decisions; A feeling of fatigue
i)Feeling guilty; Feeling of worthlessness: Feeling of helplessness
j)Chronic pain; Symptoms in body not as a result of injury or illness
k)Long-lasting mood of moroseness; Empty mood; Anxiety that lasts long
C) Causes
There are several causes of manic depression. Here is a list of some of the causes that lead to manic depression:
a)Genetic factor
As discussed earlier, manic depression tends to run in families. Chromosomes tend to show genetic abnormalities.
b)Fast biological clock
Hypothalamus, the center of the brain shows a super fast biological ‘clock’. The clock is actually a small cluster of nerves known as the supra chiasmatic nucleus or SCN. This works towards regulating an individual’s daily cycle of life and affects waking and sleeping.
c)Neurotransmitters
Patients of manic depression are known to have higher levels of vesicular monoamine transporter. It is a protein inside the brain that’s known to regulate neurotransmitters.
Other causes include abnormal activity of brain and infectious agents such as viruses.
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