Bipolar UK Mood Scale Our mood scale can help you to keep track of your moods, and to spot your patterns, triggers and any early warning signs of a relapse Expand Our mood scale can help you to describe your moods You can use this mood scale with our mood diary and/or our new Mood Tracker app to help keep track of your moods and to help you spot your patterns, triggers and any early warning signs of a relapse. How to use the mood scale and mood diary Select the score from the mood scale that matches how you are feeling and write that in under the date of the month in the section with red (cause for concern) yellow (moving away from a neutral mood) and green (neutral mood) Record how many hours of sleep you had the night before Record any medication you are taking and the dosage On the second sheet there's room to record any additional notes: what foods you ate and drinks you had; whether or not you exercised; any notable events especially any that had a particularly noticeable affect on your mood Download our Mood Scale as a PDF Want to try a new digital way to manage your mood? Download our pilot Mood Tracker app Your donation will help provide a range of services offering the support people need, when they need it. You can make sure there's someone at the end of the phone to listen, a nearby group to share lived experiences, a 24-hour peer forum and more. Together, we can support the person behind the diagnosis of bipolar
How do I know if I have bipolar? What are the common signs of bipolar disorder Expand Bipolar affects everyone differently and can be difficult to diagnose, but there are some common signs that can help you identify the illness. A mood scale - see our 'Could mood swings mean bipolar?' leaflet - will help you and your doctor understand your mood swings. Take a completed mood scale with you to your next doctor's appointment and tell them how you have been feeling over a period of time (you can take someone with you for support if it makes you feel more comfortable talking about it). Sometimes your GP may refer you to a specialist – usually a psychiatrist. Diagnosis should always be undertaken by an appropriately trained medical professional, who will undertake an assessment to understand a range of factors: eg. behaviour, sleep patterns, life events. It is not advisable to self-diagnose. Check out our blog Pre-diagnosis or newly diagnosed for some personal experiences of getting a bipolar diagnosis You may also like to view this: Donate to Bipolar UK today Your donation will help provide a range of services offering the support people need, when they need it. You can make sure there's someone at the end of the phone to listen, a nearby group to share experiences, a 24-hour peer forum and more. Together, we can support the person behind the diagnosis of bipolar.
Is there a test for bipolar? How can you get a confirmation of bipolar disorder? Expand There is no medical test for bipolar. Instead your GP or psychiatrist will usually complete an assessment focusing on your mood swings. They will ask questions about your family history and background, your sleeping pattern, your diet and your behaviour. They may also take notes about when you first experienced symptoms. All this information is relevant to help make an informed diagnosis. If you think you have bipolar symptoms it is good to keep a mood diary to take to a consultation with your doctor to show patterns of mood over time You may also like to view:
What causes bipolar? Find out what we know about the causes of bipolar Expand Although much progress has been made in understanding bipolar and how it can be managed, research has still not led to either a consensus on the cause or a cure. Some research suggests that there is, if not a known genetic link, then certainly an inherited predisposition to developing bipolar. It is also known that stressful life events may often precede or trigger an episode of mania, hypomania or depression. As our understanding of the function of the brain increases, more insights and more effective medication can be developed. This is why Bipolar UK works in partnership with research organisations.You may also like to see this:
Could mood swings mean bipolar? An introduction to bipolar and how monitoring your moods and behaviour can help Expand This information will be useful to you if you or your doctor are concerned about your mental health. You might have discussed the possibility of bipolar and you might have been referred to a specialist. What is bipolar? Bipolar is a severe, lifelong mental illness characterised by significant mood swings from manic highs to suicidal depression. Bipolar affects everyone differently and can be difficult to diagnose but there are some common signs to help you identify the illness. Both men and women any age and of any social and ethnic background can develop bipolar. It can be triggered when work, studies, family and emotional stresses are at their greatest. For women it can also be triggered by childbirth or menopause. The key to coping with bipolar is an early diagnosis, acceptance of the illness and adapting your lifestyle so you're in control of your symptoms. You can manage bipolar with medication, health care, therapy and self-management. The Bipolar UK mood diary will help you and your doctor understand your mood swings. Monitoring your moods Over the next month, ideally around the same time every day and not first thing in the morning, make a note of how you feel on a scale of 0 to 10 and write a brief comment about how you feel. It might also be a good idea to ask family and friends as they might be able to offer useful insight into your behaviour. If you feel comfortable, you could complete the mood diary with someone close to you. As well as recording where you are on the mood scale it's also a good idea to note • Medication• Hours of sleep you are getting• Exercise Those not affected by bipolar will usually have mood swings between 4 and 6 on the mood scale. If you have bipolar, your mood swings go way beyond these stable levels. If you experience periods of depression you may feel extremely tired and sluggish, cry a lot for no reason, lose interest in activities you once enjoyed, lack confidence, feel hopeless and have irregular eating and sleeping patterns. This would be 2 to 3 on the mood scale. If you are going high you might talk too fast, not need much sleep, have uncontrollable rapid thoughts, feel overconfident and over important, act impulsively and use poor judgement this would be 7 to 8 on the mood scale. Download this leaflet as a PDF Check out our blog What is bipolar? for more stories and personal experiences of bipolar disorder and to learn more about getting a diagnosis, visit our Pre-diagnosis and newly diagnosed blog Your donation will help provide a range of services offering the support people need, when they need it. You can make sure there's someone at the end of the phone to listen, a nearby group to share lived experiences, a 24-hour peer forum and more. Together, we can support the person behind the diagnosis of bipolar.
If I experience mood swings does that mean I have bipolar? How bipolar mood swings are classified using a the Bipolar UK mood scale Expand No, everyone has good and not so good days and experiences mood swings. The Bipolar UK mood scale is from 0 to 10 and those not affected by bipolar will experience mood swings between 4 and 6 on the mood scale. If you have bipolar, your mood swings go above stable levels anywhere between a 6 and 10. With bipolar when you experience depression it falls below 4 to as low as suicidal depression of 0. Also the periods of extreme mood usually last longer than a couple of days, more often it lasts weeks or months. Hypomania (6 to 8 on the mood scale) Someone experiencing hypomania can seem very self confident and euphoric but may react with sudden anger, impatience or irritability for the slightest reason. They may become easily distracted, more talkative or challenging. They may become more reckless than usual, which might mean errors of judgement, sometimes involving spending too much money or taking on more than they can cope with. Some people try to deal with their mood swings by self-medicating with alcohol or drugs. Mania (8 to 10 on the mood scale) Someone experiencing mania may not recognise it is happening. They may think or speak in an incoherent, rapid or disjointed way or be easily distracted. Other symptoms may include verbal aggression, paranoia and hallucinations affecting vision or perception. Grandiose delusions or ideas can occur where the sense of identity and self have been distorted by the illness. Sometimes the term psychosis (losing touch with reality) is used to describe these symptoms. Depression (4 to 0 on the mood scale) Most people with bipolar will experience severe depression at some time. Usually this will follow a period of mania or hypomania. For some people depression is more likely to occur during the winter months. Common symptoms experienced during depression include: feelings of emptiness or worthlessness (as opposed to sadness), loss of energy and motivation for everyday activities, pessimism and negativity. Thoughts of death and suicide are also common symptoms.
Introduction to bipolar An introduction to bipolar disorder and the services offered by Bipolar UK Expand An introduction to bipolar disorder and the services offered by Bipolar UK Bipolar, sometimes known as manic depression, is a severe mental illness characterised by significant mood swings including manic highs and depressive lows. Download this leaflet as a PDF
What are the most common symptoms of bipolar depression Members of the Bipolar UK eCommunity share their experiences of depression Expand This list has been compiled by members of the Bipolar UK eCommunity and documents their experiences of the symptoms of bipolar depression: Symptoms of depression Cognitive Executive function issues ie concentration, memory, decision makingForgetfulness/memory problemsForgetting medication or taking it more than the normal daily doseInability to explain your feelings to othersLoss of concentrationSlow or muddled thinkingDifficulties concentrating Feelings/emotions A feeling of emptinessA feeling of hopelessnessAnhedonia (lack of enjoyment)AnxietyApathyFeeling sadFeelings of guilt or that you are responsible for events (usually bad ones)Ideas that you are bad/evilIdeas that you are dislikedImpending sense of gloom that won't shiftIrritability with self and othersLack of motivationLethargyLow self esteemMoaning (serious constant moaning)ParanoiaPsycho-motor agitation, wringing hands, pacing etc.Remembering unpleasant past eventsSuicidal thoughtsTearfulnessThoughts of self-harmKeyed upWishing that the sun won't come up the next day - cannot handle the idea the tomorrow is going to comeCertain give-away statements like "I'm just waiting here in my apartment to die, really" Physical symptoms A feeling of being unwellAgitation, irritability and anger but usually when mixed or psychotic depressionNot wanting to leave houseSudden, unexplained weight lossUnexplained aches and pains/minor ailmentsWeight gain or increased appetite as well. It can go either way Self care Lack of appetiteLack of self-care/self-neglectLack of self-worth Self sabotage Engaging in deliberately self-destructive behaviours Sleep Changes in sleep patternsDisturbed sleep (waking multiple times in the night)Early waking Social Cancelling all upcoming appointments, ignoring responsibilities, shunning friends and family: and feeling guilt about all this at the same timeInability to ask others for helpLack of socialisingNo libidoSocial withdrawal
What are the symptoms of hypomania and mania? Members of the eCommunity have compiled a list of symptoms, based on their experience Expand This list is compiled by members of our eCommunity. In our experience mania and its symptoms can be personal to an individual. Having insight is important so you can recognise a behaviour or reaction that is slightly out of the ordinary. That said, the border between having insight and losing it can be quite fine. The change can happen quite quickly. It can be hard to determine its threshold when you are in an episode. Keeping a mood diary can be a useful tool to be aware of your own triggers and mood patterns. Also having people around you who you trust and who can give you feedback on your mood and behaviour is helpful. Here are some symptoms we recognise: Activity Highly productiveSpinning lots of plates at the same time/multi-taskingSpending or overspending Cognitive/ways of thinking Making connections creativelyWord play and punningSuspicious thoughts moving to paranoiaMaking links with coincidences (a kind of benign paranoia)Religiosity, sometimes with delusions of being a higher being or saviourObsessive thoughtsPlanning schemes or projects that are never realisedOverlap with depressive black and white thinkingSecrecyAudio psychosisParanoia/Feeling like being spied onRacing thoughtsAnxiety about everything and nothingBeing super animatedShort fuse/extreme irritabilityHeightened senses/sensory overload - everything is magnified - brighter colours or sharper hearingTouch can feel tingly. I get goose bump feelings up my arms and on my scalp which can be heightened by music, laughing, other peopleExcited feelings like butterflies in tummy, rushes of energy and sensations through body of being connected to everything around you in a spiritual/energy sharingCan sometimes feel like blending into an object, like you can feel the texture merging with you which although may feel pleasant at first, very quickly becomes unpleasantThings are too bright, too loud, too close, clothes feel scratchy/weird or too tight Behaviour GrandiositySleep loss/no need of sleepMicro managing projectsTalking faster and/or louderNeeding lot of stimulation...YouTube, TV, conversationsOverbooking spare time, leaving no gaps to do nothingMore active on forumsOverspending - linked to secrecy as mentioned aboveDriving with too much confidence/more aggressivelyRepeated loss of spectaclesVery high sex driveRisky behaviourExtra-productive and creative eg songwritingActing out of the ordinary eg being disinhibitedBecoming childlike or a joker/buffoon - doing silly things like being silly with my kids (which they love!)Becoming arrogant with a sharp tongueExtreme anxiety as part of hypomaniaGoing into a catatonic state and becoming unresponsive