How to recognize extreme emotions common to the condition.
When bipolar disorder reaches extreme levels, six other emotions can emerge and can be intense.
Learning to recognize them in yourself or someone you know is crucial.
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What is bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorderis a complex mental illness characterized by periods of depression alternating withmania or hypomania.
Anger also can be viewed as irritability that’s been pushed to the person’s limit.
They may even become angry in the absence of an external trigger.
The anger can reach a tipping point over a seemingly harmless trigger.
Worry and Anxiety
As with anger,anxietyis natural in many situations.
Normally, these emotions disappear when the issue is resolved.
When they persist or get worse, they can indicate a mental illness.
Worry that feels unending or out of control or proportion can be a symptom of depression.
Someone with depression or an anxiety disorder mayworry excessivelyabout common everyday issues.
Anxiety can also make someone indecisive.
They may enterinto a cycleof thinking about what they need to accomplish but having difficulty committing to a solution.
Some people with bipolar depression experiencegeneralized anxietyand racing thoughts.
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With depressive pessimism, the negativity a person experiences is outsized to the reality of the situation.
In fact, pessimistic thinking doesn’t require a specific event.
A person simply might think:It’s going to be another bad day.
A person with depression is impaired by negative, often critical, patterns of thought.
If you frequently berate yourself this way, depression may be talking rather than realistic self-criticism.
Indifference
Simply put, indifference is not caring one way or the other.
By that definition alone, indifference may not sound like a good feeling to have.
For example, being indifferent to the suffering of others compromisesempathy.
When indifference leads to inaction, it could indicate you’re dealing with depression.
You may notice your indifference affecting your relationships.
Mostly, you just feel detached.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
Learning to cope with any mental illness, including bipolar disorder, takes time.
Keep in mind that it’s a processand one that you don’t have to go through alone.
National Institute of Mental Health.Bipolar disorder.Updated January 2020.
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Anxiety and Depression Association of America.Depression.
National Institute of Mental Health.
Published October 2, 2019.
American Psychiatric Association.What Are Bipolar Disorders?Psychiatry.org.
