The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Determining someone’s physical health is easy, but knowing if his mind is healthy is a different matter.
Someone is said to be of sound mind when he or she has the ability to see his or her own worth and is capable of interacting properly behaviorally, and emotionally with other people. This lets him or her contribute in a good way to the community that he or she belongs in. However, the mind can also get sick, opening a range of conditions or disorders that change mood, thinking, and behavior. One such illness is Bipolar Disorder.
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness highlighted by erratic mood swings. Individuals with this type of illness find regulating their emotions and moods challenging. Because of this, they can either experience manic episodes or “highs”; or depressive episodes, or “lows.” There are times that a person with Bipolar disorder experience both at the same time.
You might think that Bipolar disorder is rare but, in 2005, it was discovered that “over 5 million people in the US, roughly around 2.6 percent of the population, suffer from some form of bipolar disorder.” While the numbers are staggering, experts believe that there are actually more individuals out there who are suffering from the illness without them realizing.
Bipolar disorder is hard to diagnose, however, there are behavioral signs that could help identify it. We have gathered a list of symptoms and separated them into two groups: Depressive symptoms (items 1-13) and manic symptoms (items 14-25).
Here are 25 of the most common signs of bipolar disorder:
1. Suicidal Thoughts
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