It is important to clarify that it is never advisable to self-diagnose yourself with any type of disease, whether physical or mental, that task corresponds to a health professional trained in a clinical context.
Bipolar disorder is characterized by an extreme swing between very low moods (depression) to very high moods (mania).
The state of mania is characterized by the presence of a euphoric or even irritable mood and is manifested by the participation in more high-risk activities, decreased need for sleep, increased talkativeness along with altered cognitive functioningsuch as increased thinking speed, greater difficulty maintaining attention, very high self-esteem and even delusions of grandeur. All this lasts more than a week.
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This state of mania generates difficulties in social functioning (work, family, friends) and sometimes the symptoms are so high that hospitalization is required.
These symptoms do not correspond to the person’s usual form and are generated in a period where the behavior may seem “strange”, if we compare it with the behavior that occurs most of the time. There is also an episode called hypomanic, where the same symptoms occur for a duration of less than 4 days, that is, there is a minor impact on the person’s functioning.
However, according to the diagnostic criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) It is enough that there has been a manic or hypomanic episode in the person’s life.
The difficulty lies in being able to say that there is indeed a presence of manic episodes in the course of a person’s life, which is not a simple task to carry out. The ideal thing in these cases is to consult with a psychologist or psychiatrist who has experience in managing this type of disorders in order to have a much more reliable opinion.