Not every day can be filled with total joy, but if you're worried about your mood swings and if things are feeling like too much of an emotional rollercoaster, experts have shared tell-tale signs that you may want to speak to your GP about.
People with Bipolar, a condition that affects 1.3 million Brits and seven million Americans, suffer extreme mood swings that cannot be remedied by making small changes, such as overhauling your sleep routine or changing your diet.
If you find that your mood is ever-changing, for example, you go through periods of highs, and depressive lows, experts have warned this could be a sign of Bipolar. And long-lasting changes to your moods, alongside disruption to your usual activities can be key indicators you may need to speak to a doctor.
According to the NHS website: "Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that affects your moods, which can swing from one extreme to another. It used to be known as manic depression.
"People with bipolar disorder have episodes of:
- depression – feeling very low and lethargic
- mania – feeling very high and overactive."
Dr Guy Goodwin, an emeritus professor of psychiatry from the University of Oxford, said that high mood can make patients "extremely active, not sleep much and feel over-confident", as reported in the Daily Mail.
If their mood escalates even more, it can become mania, and their behaviour can become riskier and they can "lose touch with reality."
But when patients are low, they may feel, teary, agitated, uninterested in things they usually enjoy, and sometimes suicidal.
Dr Goodwin added: "If someone with Bipolar is experiencing a low mood, they can go into a deep depression, where they're unable to function and may have recurring suicidal thoughts."
Of course, most people will have days where they're feeling joyful, and days where they feel low, but those with Bipolar experience these feelings for weeks.
Depressive episodes last at least two weeks among those with bipolar disorder, although they can last for months, according to mental health charity Mind. Mania can also last around one week.
While people can continue with normal life while suffering from mood swings, those with bipolar tend to suffer much more disruption, and it usually affects their "usual activities."
Dr Goodwin continued: "People with Bipolar often don't have complete cognitive control when they're experiencing a mood swing, so they end up doing things they wouldn't normally do and later regret. This behaviour can be extremely disruptive – for example, they might miss work if they're depressed, or take impulsive ill-judged risks if they're manic."
If you think you may have bipolar, it's best to see your GP to help you get a diagnosis.
