Risk-Taking and Bipolar Disorder: What You Need to Know

When you have bipolar disorder, your moods are significantly affected. You may go from periods of high energy to feeling down and depressed. These are known as manic and depressive symptoms, respectively. When you’re in the manic stage of this condition, it may cause you to take risks you normally wouldn't consider.

At Carolina Wellness Psychiatry, our team of experts helps you understand the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Our team is led by Dr. Elizabeth Bullard, Dr. Brian Moore, Dr. Allison Foroobar, and Dr. Sarah Gilbert. All are specialized psychiatry experts, providing treatment for your risky bipolar behaviors.

Understanding bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that causes you to have periods of mania and depression. This is a chronic mental health condition that causes lifelong problems with your mood, energy levels, and behaviors.

The main characteristics of bipolar disorder are manic episodes and depressive episodes. However, if you have bipolar disorder, you’re not constantly in these states. You also experience times of normal moods from time to time.

There are different forms of bipolar disorder, including bipolar I, bipolar II, and cyclothymic disorder. Each one of these issues affects your mood and mental health in a different way.

Why do you take unnecessary risks?

If you have bipolar I disorder, you’re more likely to have manic episodes than other forms of bipolar disorder. This is the aspect of the condition that leads to risk-taking behaviors.

Manic episodes cause risk-taking behaviors for a number of different reasons. To start, your energy levels increase, and your need for sleep decreases during this period.

Your thought patterns change, causing your mind to race and leading to disoriented thinking. You may also suffer from delusions or hallucinations that could make you take risks you wouldn’t normally take.

One of the hallmark signs of mania is impaired judgment. This causes you to participate in extremely risky or dangerous behaviors. You do things without even considering the consequences of your actions.

Gambling and hypersexuality are some of the risky behaviors linked to manic episodes. Impulsivity is the root behind many of these reckless actions. Spending money without even thinking is another problem when it comes to manic episodes.

Warning signs of mania

If you or someone you love has bipolar disorder, it’s important to understand the signs of mania. This aspect of bipolar disorder causes risk-taking behaviors that negatively impact your relationships and your life.

Everyone who has bipolar disorder experiences mania differently, but some of the common warning signs of a manic episode include:

Significant increase in energy
Extreme talkativeness
Recklessly spending money
A sudden elated mood
Unreasonable thoughts or ideas
Increased irritability
Extreme impatience
Unrealistic optimism

If you’re noticing the above signs, it’s vital you seek help from our team before you end up in a full-blown manic episode. Our team helps you get your condition under control to prevent the reckless behaviors associated with mania.

Treatments that can help bipolar disorder

If you’re tired of suffering from the mania and depression related to bipolar disorder, our expert team can help. Managing your symptoms is the way to decrease your risky behaviors when it comes to bipolar disorder.

The team at Carolina Wellness Psychiatry offers specialized treatment options to provide you with relief from your bipolar symptoms. Every patient is different, but you may benefit from a combination of treatments, such as:

Medications

Our team recommends treatment with a few different types of medications for bipolar disorder. Typically, antipsychotics and mood stabilizers are the main types of medications used for treatment of mania and psychosis.

In some cases, antidepressants are also used to help with the depression symptoms brought on by bipolar disorder.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is usually used in conjunction with medications when you’re suffering from bipolar disorder. There are several forms of psychotherapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

CBT helps you understand your disorder and your symptoms. Our team uses this treatment to help you understand what triggers your risky behaviors, to allow you to avoid these negative behaviors in the future.

Psychotherapy also provides you with the tools to adopt healthy habits into your life to control your disorder. This includes sleep habits, stress relief tools, and balancing your work and home life.

If you need help controlling your bipolar disorder symptoms, call us at 919-446-3232, or request a consultation with our psychiatry experts using our online booking tool.