Manic Attack Symptoms

Bipolar disorder is classified as a mental illness and is characterized by extreme mood swings. When experiencing the low side of the mood swings, the patient can be incredibly depressed, tired, and even suicidal. At the highest of the mood swings, the patient can display a wide range of symptoms. Most of these symptoms involve taking sometimes normal, ordinary activities and putting them into hyper drive and doing everything to excess without thinking of the consequences.

When a person is experiencing a manic attack, they usually feel very little need for sleep. It is not uncommon to compare a manic episode to being high on drugs. A lot of the symptoms are very similar: excessively good mood, the feeling that you can do anything, that nothing can harm you or that you are untouchable. People who are in the middle of a manic attack can also become aggressive and usually have an increase in their sexual drive, eventually leading to participating in activities that they would not normally participate in if they were not in the middle of a manic attack.

Another common symptom is the over-spending of money. It is not uncommon for people in the midst of manic episodes to buy multiple large purchases – cars, boats, even houses. If undiagnosed, these manic episodes are often treated as the patient acting restless, selfish and without regard to friends and family. However, the intention of the people in the midst of a manic attack is not to harm those around them. Instead, it is due to their heighten sense of self that they indulge in such extreme pleasures.