Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that is characterised by extreme mood swings. These can range from extreme highs, sometimes referred to a mania and extreme lows, often referred to a depression. 

Episodes of mania and depression can last days, several week or months. 

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The Mania phase of Bipolar disorder can include:

• Feeling very happy, elated or overjoyed 
• Feeling full of energy
• Feeling full of great new ideas and having important plans 
• Being delusional, having hallucinations and / or illogical thinking 
• Not eating or feeling like sleeping 
• Doing things that have very disastrous consequences- such as spending large sums of money 
• Saying and doing things that are out of character and that other see as may be risky or harmful 

The Depression phase of Bipolar can include:

• Feeling sad, low, hopeless 
• Lacking energy
• Loss of interest in everyday activities 
• Feelings of guilt and / or despair 
• self-doubt
• Lack of appetite
• Suicidal thoughts 
• Feelings pessimistic about everything 

Bipolar patterns 

If you suffer from Bipolar you may have periods of depression more regularly than periods of mania, or vice versa. Between periods you may sometimes have times when you have a 'normal' mood. Patterns of bipolar are different for each person.

Help, support and treatment is out there for people who have Bipolar. 

If you are not diagnosed with bipolar but feel you suffer from symptoms of it you need to speak to your GP as soon as possible. Make an appointment, and they will talk through the next steps with you, which is often being referred to a psychiatrist. This is so they can understand the best next steps to take with treatment and support. 

The NHS states that:

Most people with bipolar disorder can be treated using a combination of different treatments.

These can include 1 or more of the following:

• medicine to prevent episodes of mania and depression – these are known as mood stabilisers, and you take them every day on a long-term basis
• medicine to treat the main symptoms of depression and mania when they happen
• learning to recognise the triggers and signs of an episode of depression or mania
• psychological treatment – such as talking therapies, which help you deal with depression and provide advice on how to improve relationships
• lifestyle advice – such as doing regular exercise, planning activities you enjoy that give you a sense of achievement, and advice on improving your diet and getting more sleep.

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There is also the below recommended charity

Bipolar UK

Bipolar UK offers a range of support services, including peer support groups, a moderate eCommunity with thousands of users and 1:1 peer support. It also currently offering online specialist support groups for information click here >Bipolar UK online specialist support groups | Bipolar UK