A patient suffering from this disorder enjoys normal moods, too, although most of the time, his mood swings are overly dramatic. Sometimes he is hopeless and sad, and then he will suddenly feel extremely joyful and on a high. The changes in the mood are severe, and the episodes are called mania and depression (Bauer, et. al, 2008, p. 13).
For the episode called mania, the symptoms include denying that there is something wrong, being extremely aggressive, intrusive and provocative, abusing sleeping medications, alcohol, cocaine and prohibited drugs, having an increased sexual desire, spending too much, having poor judgment, having unrealistic beliefs in his own powers and abilities, not needing enough sleep, experiencing difficulties in concentrating and having racing thoughts where from one idea, he suddenly jumps to another.
Part of the mania episode also involves feeling extremely irritable, feeling overly euphoric, restlessness, and having increased motivation to certain activities (Bauer, et. al, 2008, p. 13). If a manic episode is diagnosed, it means that the patient’s mood is elevated, together with a few of the other symptoms of the episode in a single day. The whole episode may last for a whole week. Sometimes, though, it is longer than that.
Being irritable, then, means that four other symptoms must manifest. Speaking of which, the symptoms of the depressive episode are as follows: being suicidal or developing thoughts on suicide attempts and death, experiencing persistent physical symptoms like chronic pain (which are not caused by injuries or any physical condition), unwanted weight gain or weight loss, changed appetite, wanting to sleep too much and feeling extremely irritable and restless (Bauer, et. al, 2008, p. 14).
The said episode also includes feelings of fatigue, decreased energy, loss of interest in sex and in the usual things or activities the patient enjoys, feeling helpless, worthless, guilty, pessimistic, hopeless, anxious and sad. This is diagnosed if out of all these symptoms, five or more manifest in the patient, lasting for a whole day for a period of fourteen days (Bauer, et. al, 2008, p. 14). A patient may also suffer from hypomania, which refers to an episode characterized by mild to moderate mania. This usually makes the patient feel good. His productivity may be enhanced and his functioning may be improved.
This is also the same reason why the patient may deny that there is something wrong about him, because he feel just right, no matter how many times his family, relatives and friends tell him that there seems to be something different about him (Bauer, et. al, 2008, p. 15). Treatment is necessary during bouts of hypomania since this may turn into severe mania when left untreated. Sometimes, hypomania may also suddenly involve into depression. In some cases, when any of these episodes turn severe, the patient may also exhibit symptoms of psychosis which include delusions and hallucinations (Bauer, et. al, 2008, p. 15).
The most dangerous and most destructive symptom of manic depression is the patient’s tendency to become suicidal. A person may be suffering from suicidal tendencies if he is writing suicide notes, organizing finances, giving away things as a preparation of his death, putting himself in harmful situations, abusing drugs and alcohol, feeling like a burden to his friends, relatives and family, feeling helpless and hopeless, and talking to people about his desire or plans to die (Maj, et. al. , 2002, p. 63).