Early Stages of Bipolar Disorder
When bipolar disorder first appears, it is very difficult to diagnose. People naturally cycle through moods and in the earliest stages, people with bipolar disorder will cycle lightly- barely mania and barely depression (compared to what they will later experience). Particularly hypomania is difficult to diagnose or recognize as a problem, as it may just seem like the person is particularly happy, productive, and energetic. At the very beginning, individuals are more likely to experience major depressive episodes, and if they seek help for it, they will be diagnosed with depression. It is also important to note that depression is much more likely to be viewed as a problem than mania socially as it is a more negative emotion, even though both and their combination can be very difficult to live with and cause many problems. Furthermore, it is not unlikely for a person with bipolar disorder to have received treatment for depression, especially when their first few major depressive episodes first appear in the teenage years.
Eventually, the individual will experience a manic episode that if reported and recognized can lead to the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. If bipolar disorder continues untreated, the person will experience more cycles into depression and mania that will often increase in frequency and shorten in duration (they begin to go in and out of depression and mania more rapidly). Please note that I am not saying all cases of bipolar disorder present this way, but this is a general overview of the disorder’s development. I will give EH’s views on their early stages in the next post.
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