Mood & Depression
Bipolar I Disorder
Episodes of mania, where mood and energy escalate far beyond normal for a week or more, usually alternating with periods of depression.
What it can feel like
- Little need for sleep while feeling energised
- Racing thoughts, rapid speech, jumping between topics
- Grandiose ideas, unusual spending or risk-taking
- Irritability and agitation
- Afterwards, deep depression or exhaustion
Not everyone has every symptom, and you do not need a label to deserve support.
Things that help
Learn your early warning signs
Sleep loss, faster speech and unusual spending are common first signals. Write yours down while well, and share them with someone you trust.
Protect sleep above everything
A stable sleep and wake time is one of the strongest protective factors. Treat a run of short nights as a red flag, not a bonus.
Keep mood notes simple
A daily one-line rating of mood, sleep and energy gives you and your clinician a pattern you can act on early.
Want to actually do these? Save them to your practices and tick them off as you go.
Add to my practicesWhen to reach for more support
Bipolar I needs a psychiatric assessment. Mood stabilisers are usually central, and stopping them suddenly carries real risk. Seek urgent help if you or someone else is unsafe.
Often looked at together
Bipolar II Disorder
Repeated depressive episodes with milder episodes of elevated mood (hypomania) that feel productive rather than out of control. Often mistaken for depression for years.
Cyclothymia
Two years or more of shifting between mild highs and mild lows that never quite reach full episodes, but still unsettle stability.
Depression
More than low mood: a flattening of energy, interest and pleasure that lasts weeks or months and changes how you think about yourself and the future.