BIPOLAR DISORDER
SYMPTOMS
Bipolar disorder (also known as “manic depression”) is often not recognized by the patient, relatives, friends, or even physicians. An early sign of manic-depressive illness may be hypomania — a state in which the person shows a high level of energy, excessive moodiness or irritability, and impulsive or reckless behavior.
Hypomania may feel good to the person who experiences it. Thus, even when family and friends learn to recognize the mood swings, the individual often will deny that anything is wrong.
