The following symptoms and complaints may indicate bipolar disorder:
Symptoms of a manic episode
- Duration of at least 1 week
- Aggression
- Significantly increased arousal
- Increased urge to talk
- Increased drive
- Flight of ideas
- Risky behavior
- Quick distractibility
- Need for sleep decreased
- Social inhibitions reduced
- Increase libido
- Exaggerated self-assessment
- Inappropriate/noticeable elevated and/or irritable mood.
Symptoms of a hypomanic episode
- Duration min. 4 days
- Flight of ideas
- Concentration difficulties
Note: The hypomanic episode is often not recognized as such by the patient, but usually only by relatives.
Symptoms of a depressive episode (bipolar depression).
- Duration of symptomatology at least 2 weeks
- Anxiety
- Reduced drive
- Appetite disorders
- Depressed mood
- Lack of interest
- Cognitive deficits
- Physical symptoms such as increased sweating
- Insomnia (sleep disturbances)
- Loss of self-esteem
- Suicidality (suicide risk)
- Inappropriate feelings of guilt
- Recurrent thoughts of death
Psychotic symptoms include:
- Hallucinations
- Delusions (delusions of relationship, grandeur, love, persecution in mania; delusions of relationship, hypochondriacal, nihilistic, guilt, persecution in depression)
Somatic syndrome in the context of a depressive episode includes:
- Marked anorexia (loss of appetite).
- Early waking
- Weight loss (at least 5% of body weight in four weeks).
- Loss of interest
- Loss of libido
- Lack of emotional responsiveness (responsiveness to an external stimulus).
- Morning low
- Psychomotor inhibition/excitation
Furthermore, there are subsyndromal courses as well as cyclothymia (ICD-10 F 34.0).
