Bipoloar Syndrome

What is bipolar syndrome?A research paper on bipolar syndrome will answer this question and address many other aspects of bipolar disorder. Have the Psychology writers from Paper Masters help write your bipolar syndrome research paper with up to date and relevant research articles.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Psychiatric Disorders (DSM-IV) defines a "manic episode" as the following:

• A one week period of experiencing elevated, expansive, or irritable moods, the presence of symptoms such as
  • Inflated self-esteem
  • Decreased need for sleep (usually around 3 hours a night)
  • Being excessively talkative
  • Having racing thoughts
  • Being extremely distractible
  • A sharp increase in goal-oriented activities
  • Excessive partaking in pleasure-seeking (but high consequence) activities such as:
    • Shopping sprees
    • Sexual encounters
    • Ill-advised financial decisions

Bipolar Syndrome and Depression

Clinical definitions aside, how would someone know if he was encountering a manic-depression? According to Berger and Berger, changes in sleeping habits are a very reliable indicator of the presence of bipolar disorder. Someone who usually functions on the normal 6-8 hours per night of sleep may start sleeping only 2 or 3 hours, or on the other extreme, 12 hours a day or more. Other symptoms are sudden, drastic changes in eating habits such as gorging, binging, or even sudden vegetarianism. A sharp increase in activity (also known as hyperactivity) and drinking/drug abuse are also classic hallmarks of bipolar syndrome.

Bipolar Syndrome and Behavior

Bizarre, unexplainable behaviors are also indicators of bipolar syndrome. Someone may suddenly begin calling old friends or relatives at all hours of the night, disregarding all consideration of the other party. A usually neat, clean-cut person might allow himself to become dirty, unshaven, and neglect his overall hygiene. He might begin dressing differently, perhaps dressing more eccentrically or by allowing his wardrobe to become disheveled. He often begins hallucinating; hearing voices or seeing objects such as UFOs are common at the outset of bipolar syndrome.