The symptoms in the various types of bipolar disorders or the bipolar spectrum are more or less the same. It is the intensity and the severity of the symptoms that makes each one different. The main types of bipolar disorders are Bipolar Type 1 and Bipolar Type 2 and both of them need their own symptoms list.
The patients of Bipolar Disorder Type 1 have reason to be happier simply because this condition responds better to treatment and they usually suffer from these attacks once, maybe twice a year. They are usually very intelligent and could even be in the genius category and they have a high self esteem. They tend to talk a lot – much too much in fact and they usually have a strong opinion on everything. They tend to suffer from insomnia and they are very ambitious. However, when they do get their attack of mood swings, they can go from crying to laughing and then anger in a very short while. It is this swing that characterizes this condition. The brain seems to be on a kind of a rollercoaster taking the person along with it. The symptoms rage and may even need hospitalization but medication can control the condition and bring everything back to normal. At the time of the attack, there could be hallucinations with everything around seeming very unreal. The usual drugs prescribed are mood stabilizers and maybe antipsychotics.
In Bipolar Disorder Type 2, the patient has at least one attack of a very depressed state and this is the time to be careful because there could be suicidal tendencies during this period. Yes, there are antidepressants and mod stabilizers to treat and mange this condition as well but it takes much longer to come out of this than it does in the Type 1. The sad thing is, very often these people excel in anything they take up and it is only when the attacks come on that they experience deep depressions. However, this kind of bipolar disorder might not need hospitalization because they do not get into a hyperactive state but rather remain in a passive state. The danger however lies in the fact that suicidal thoughts can come on when the person is feeling low and alone.
Some of the common symptoms happen to be a dislike to stick with a particular plan or project if things are not going well and the need to be constantly seeking greener pastures. These people like to think big and dream big but very often don’t have the dedication or the commitment to see their grandiose schemes through. This is not to say that what they envisage is not workable because they can be very intelligent and farsighted. It just means that they don’t have the patience or the attention to detail to stick it out and make things work. To a great extent this could be due to the mood swings they suffer from. They also tend to be a bit reckless and medication usually reigns in these traits.