So, you think you have Depression? It could be Bipolar Disorder.

As many as 1 in 5 people that go to their doctor complaining of depression actually have type 2 bipolar disorder, like me. But how are you supposed to know you might have bipolar disorder if you don’t even know what it is?

Simply put, bipolar disorder is a mood disorder characterized by alternating states (also called episodes) of depression and mania or hypomania, sometimes with periods of normalcy in between. But that definition won’t help you at all unless you’re able recognize what it means.

Depressive states present with the same symptoms as typical unipolar depression: sadness, loss of interest, lethargy, you know the rest. Thing is, you may have times where you feel better with no cause, like your depression has suddenly “cleared up,” only to be devastated when it shows up again.

Those times you felt better? They may have been manic or hypomanic episodes.

Whaaaaat!?

You may be going “What!? What’s a (hypo)manic episode? I didn’t even know I was having them!”

I didn’t know I was having them either, until my random happiness and giddiness about life progressed into agitation and irritability. I was hostile towards my friends. I literally had days where I woke up angry. But I don’t consider myself a mean or angry person, so that told me that something was wrong.

Increased happiness, agitation, and anger are just a few symptoms of a manic or hypomanic episode. Because there’s also a boost to your energy when you’re manic or hypomanic, you’ll probably feel better. Really, anything feels better than being depressed, so you may not see this occasional, unexplained anger as a problem like I did. Maybe you just assume you have a bad temper and leave it at that. 

But, while you’re here, take a look and see if you experience any of these common symptoms of hypomania and mania (this is not meant to be an exhaustive list, so take it with a grain of salt):

Hypomania

“Good” symptoms:

• Happiness.

• Joy or giddiness about life or living.

• Generally elevated mood.

• High energy.

• Increased motivation.

• Confidence.

“Bad” symptoms:

• Anxiety.

• Impulsivity.

• Racing thoughts.

• Insomnia.

• Irritability.

• Anger.

• Bloated self-image (to the point of being narcissistic).

Mania

All the symptoms of Hypomania plus:

• Euphoria or feeling “on top of the world.”

• High sex drive.

• Hyperactivity.

• Feeling a “reduced need to sleep.”

• Aggression.

• Hostility.

• Engaging in risky or self-destructive behavior.

Mania can progress into a state of Psychosis:

• Paranoia.

• Hallucinations (usually shadowy figures).

• Delusions about what is really happening around you.

If you’re sometimes having symptoms of depression and sometimes having symptoms of mania or hypomania, try taking this test and see how you do. Along with doing some of my own research, it helped me figure out that I had bipolar disorder, not just depression.