Sometimes it’s difficult to address negative emotional, thought and behavior patterns that are impacting your overall quality of life. But it’s important to acknowledge potential mental health disorder symptoms so that you can get the support and resources you need.
Bipolar disorder centers on mood swings, which many people will try to justify as “no big deal.” It’s easy to think, “I’m just having a stressful time” as a way to explain sudden emotional shifts. But if you have ever asked yourself, “Do I have bipolar disorder?,” you can benefit from taking a bipolar disorder quiz.
Read on to learn about bipolar disorder, how to know it’s time to take a bipolar disorder quiz and what to do after you take one.
The basics of bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that causes unusual emotional and energy shifts, known as episodes. Bipolar disorder episodes refer to periods of mood changes that shift back and forth between manic highs and depressive lows. Manic episodes cause elevated levels of energy followed by depressive episodes that cause overwhelming negative feelings and thoughts.
People with bipolar disorder often have a hard time forming and maintaining healthy connections with other people. Episodes can also interfere with your ability to carry out your daily responsibilities at school, work and home.
Bipolar 1 has the highest acuity level of the disorder and causes extreme shifts between manic and depressive episodes. Bipolar 2 has hypomanic instead of manic episodes; symptoms are less severe than those of manic symptoms in bipolar 1. It has longer periods of emotional stability between episodes.
There’s also the possibility of having cyclothymic disorder, which means that you don’t fit the criteria of either bipolar 1 or 2. Individuals with cyclothymic disorder can have episodes that each last more than one year.
How to know if you should take a bipolar disorder quiz
Self-awareness is one of the driving forces toward starting your mental health journey. There are many factors that could contribute to a potential bipolar disorder diagnosis, but one of the most important factors is recognizing symptoms of bipolar episodes.
Manic episodes can last up to one week and cause symptoms including:
- Feeling unusually upbeat or “wired”
- High energy levels
- Heightened irritability
- Exaggerated self-confidence
- Racing thoughts
Depressive episodes can last more than two weeks and cause symptoms including:
- Pervasive feelings of sadness
- Lack of enjoyment in activities
- Concentration and decision-making issues
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Suicidal thoughts
If you’ve been tracking your moods, you may recognize cyclical patterns that could be a sign that it’s time to take a bipolar disorder quiz. Not only does it help you look at your mental, emotional and behavioral health from a different perspective, but it will show how much you align with the criteria of a DSM-5-TR diagnosis for bipolar disorder.
What to do following a bipolar disorder quiz
It’s important to remember that you should seek mental health care following a bipolar disorder quiz, regardless of the results. If you have enough emotional and mental distress that led you to take the quiz, then you should still seek out professional help.
If the results of the bipolar disorder quiz indicate that you fit the criteria, you should book a consultation with a licensed clinical therapist for a formal diagnosis. They can help determine the severity of your symptoms and figure out the best treatment methods for managing your symptoms in the future.
What to do after you have taken a bipolar disorder quiz
We understand that it’s not always easy to recognize if you have bipolar disorder symptoms in yourself. But it’s important to realize that by acknowledging those distressful aspects of your emotions, behaviors and thoughts, you can work toward a happier and healthier future. At Lightfully Behavioral Health, we can help if you have bipolar disorder symptoms. We use process-based therapy to provide personalized, holistic treatment in four levels of care: Residential Treatment, Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program (vIOP), Partial Hospitalization Program, also called our Day Treatment Program, and Intensive Outpatient Program.
Change is possible. When you’re ready to take the first step in your mental health journey, reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team. We’ll take the next steps together, toward the fullest, brightest version of you.