Whenever someone in the family or a familiar person suddenly acts strange and the behavior can be associated with some kind of mental disorder, it is important that symptoms must be seen and accurately determined to be able to know the kinds of treatment for the disease.

Before claiming that someone really suffers from bipolar disorder, it is first important to identify the symptoms to strengthen the educated guess.

A sudden gush of excitement can’t be categorized as being bipolar. People have the right to be angry, happy, sad and all those behaviors. Although, when one experiences the disease, it will be most unlikely that the person will show a condition that had become tragically habitual. Typically, there
are four episodes that a person will engage into if he or she suffers from the disorder. These episodes are:

1. Major Depressive Episode

Someone who is experiencing a major depressive episode in his or her life expresses symptoms like:

• persistent emotional feelings of anxiety, anger, sadness, guilt, isolation and hopelessness • indifference, apathy or self-loathing • appetite and sleep disturbances • fatigue and extreme restlessness • unable to become interested in usually enjoyable activities • depersonalization and extreme
loneliness • lack of interest in having sexual activities • social anxiety and shyness • chronic pain that usually triggers irritability • suicidal tendencies or morbid thinking

In worst case scenarios, most especially if the person suffering from the disorder never had the opportunity to go into psychological help, he can become psychotic which is also known as a severe condition of the disease.

2. Manic Episode

Major characteristics of people who experiences manic episodes are those that have a distinct condition of expansive, irritable or elevated mood state. Someone who suffers manic episodes experience a common insurmountable amount of energy but lacks the capability to get proper sleep.

Furthermore, the speech of the person is pressured in a way that even thoughts are racing. Attention span is decreased and can be easily distracted. Impairment of judgment can also be experienced whereas the sufferer will undergo sprees and abnormal behavior that is quite unusual on his or her part.

Indulging in substance abuse can also be possible. Substances may include depressant drugs, stimulants, and even sleeping pills. Behavior may range from being intrusive or aggressive. Grandiose and delusional ideas may become prominent. During extremes, a person may exhibit psychosis which is a
factor that perceives fantasy more than reality.

3. Hypomanic Episode

This is the lesser part of mania episode. Extremes are less prominent. Symptoms and attitudes are also decreased. When a person experiences a hypomanic episode, he would feel sudden uncontrollable behavior like laughing out loud even with no specific reason behind it or there might be a reason but
it would be shallow.

Duration of the episode occurs only for a short period of time. Oftentimes, this is associated with the artistic mind of the person involved because intelligent thinking, flight of ideas, and an abnormal increase in energy can be seen.

4. Mixed Episode

Mixed episodes usually refer to the combined state of depressive episodes and manic episodes that may occur simultaneously. Some of which are experiencing impulsiveness, racing thoughts, rage, agitation, paranoia, aggressiveness, etc.

It is better that one understands the different episodes a bipolar disorder expresses in order to diagnose the disease earlier and treatment can be performed.

Anyone who suffers a bipolar disorder can’t possibly stand alone. He needs the utmost support of his family, friends and whoever is close to him. True, that a person needs to undergo series of tests and treatments to be able to tend to him well. Although, it doesn’t end there. After getting out of
the rehab, what’s next?

Help is always there. One must only shout the words and seek for it to make things a bit better in his life. You can search for help in medical schools or any affiliated programs, psychiatric departments of hospitals, clinics, mental health centers.

People who have bipolar disorder need attention. Without it, there will be no success in any kind of treatment. Oftentimes, people who have bipolar disability don’t realize the impairment of the disease because they think of their problem as some cause of debilitating normality in their everyday
living. People usually asks help when the disorder is already striking hard.

Families and friends have a big responsibility over someone who is experiencing the bipolar difficulties. Therefore, it is important that great encouragement to get treatment must be imposed. If you have no idea on where to bring the family member who is affected, you can ask your family physician
for referrals to where would be more appropriate to bring him.

With this kind of responsibility, family members and friends must be ready to let the person with bipolar disease to be hospitalized in order to protect him or her from further harm. Emotional as it seems, the family and friends must be able to cope with certain situations in which the person who
has bipolar doesn’t want to go into rehabilitation and forced hospitalization will occur.

Once inside the facility, families and friends must always show total support and encouragement in order to make the person feel that he is still important to those around him and fast recovery and treatment is possible. Although, one needs to understand that the course of treatment is not a one-day
scenario. It goes a long, long way.

The physician needs to know the appropriate intervention that should be given to the patient in cases of mood swings and intervals. While others have a stable mood of being in a manic stage, others show a relapse from being aggressive to being repressive.

Other people who suffer from the disorder voluntarily surrender themselves in a rehabilitation facility and are oftentimes joined with support groups who can further enhance the capability of treating the disorder. Groups that are sponsored by associations like the NAMI or National Alliance for the
Mentally Ill. Benefits can also be taken from these support groups by the families and friends of the patients.

For families and friends, it is important that you understand the situation your loved one is going through. It is a tough battle. If you have noticed certain attitude changes due to bipolar disorder, it is better to deal with it than act as if nothing’s wrong just because you are ignoring the fact
of life.

Having a difficult time dealing with the person’s episodes can be hard but realizing that the person is having a more difficult time experiencing the disorder and being excommunicated and ousted from frequent society is more painful. You have a lot of help outside your home. All you have to do is
reach out.