Bi-polar disorder/manic depression
Bi-polar affective disorder is type of mental health difficulty that can seriously affect the way you think and feel and you might hear it referred to as a type of ‘psychosis’.
There is still a real lack of understanding of mental health difficulties and some people use words like “psycho” to tease or bully others.
It can be really scary to hear these words and although they may sound negative, they just describe certain types of difficulties or behaviour.
What is bi-polar disorder?
Bi-polar disorder is a condition where you have extreme mood swings from feeling really high for a while to feeling really low or depressed.
It can be quite hard to tell if a young person is suffering from bi-polar disorder because mood swings are a very common part of growing up.
It is completely normal to feel really high sometimes and then really low. But it is when mood swings become exaggerated, overwhelming and get in the way of making friendships or managing in your life that you might want to seek professional advice.
When you are feeling low or depressed you might:
- Have no energy
- Find it hard to enjoy things
- Feel there is no hope for the future
- Have no interest in eating
You might also Find it hard to sleep because you can’t stop thinking or sleep too much and can’t get out of bed.
When you are feeling high (sometimes called mania) you might:
- Have lots of energy and can’t keep still
- Talk really fast
- Feel like your thoughts are speeded up
- Not feel the need to sleep
- Feel frustrated or annoyed because you have lots of energy and other people can’t keep up
Remember
Just because you have some or even all of these symptoms it does not necessarily mean you have bi-polar disorder.
If you are worried you should talk to someone you trust who can support you in getting help. If you go to your GP they can help to work out if you have bi-polar or another type of psychosis and the best way to treat your problems.
Useful stuff
Download our booklet on psychosis to find out more:
