Bipolar Disorder

Signs and Symptoms

Typical manic signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder include:

• Severe changes in mood—either unusually happy or silly or very irritable, angry, agitated, or aggressive
• Unrealistically high sense of ability, knowledge, and power
• Significant increases in energy and the ability to go with little or no sleep for days without feeling tired
• Increase in talking—the child talks too much or too fast, changes topics too quickly, and cannot be interrupted
• Distractibility—the child’s attention moves constantly from one thing to the next
• Repeated high risk-taking behavior, such as abusing alcohol and drugs, reckless driving, or sexual promiscuity

Typical depressive signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder include:

• Irritability, depressed mood, persistent sadness, or frequent crying
• Thoughts of death or suicide
• Loss of enjoyment in favorite activities
• Frequent complaints of physical illnesses, such as headaches or stomachaches
• Low energy level, fatigue, poor concentration, or complaints of boredom
• Major changes in eating or sleeping patterns, such as overeating or oversleeping