What's the difference in bipolar disorder
and schizophenia?
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Balch
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 03 Dec 2006 Posts: 30 Location: Sunnyvale
Schizophrenia Vs Bipolar Disorder Posted: 12-12-06 21:41pm
I think you mean "schizophrenia",right?
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder
characterized by alternating states of
depression and mania that follow each
other in a repeating cycle.
People with bipolar disorder may cycle
through these states quickly or may
experience long periods of depression or
mania. Often one mood state predominates,
while the other occurs only infrequently
or briefly.
Symptoms of the elevated mood stage of
bipolar disorder include an exaggerated
sense of confidence and well-being, racing
thoughts, excessive talking,
distractibility, increased desire for
pleasurable activity, decreased need for
sleep, impulsivity, irritability, and
impairment in judgment. The depressed
phase includes symptoms of sadness,
fatigue, pessimism, feelings of
helplessness, low self-esteem, and loss of
interest in life, possibly with thoughts
of suicide.
Schizophrenia is a common and serious
mental disorder characterized by loss of
contact with reality.
The behaviors, described below, must be
present for six months or longer to
establish a diagnosis. Approximately 1%
of the world’s population is affected by
this condition.
Symptoms and signs of schizophrenia
include loss of contact with reality
(psychosis), auditory and visual
hallucinations (false perceptions),
delusions (false beliefs), abnormal
thinking, restricted range of emotions,
diminished motivation, and disturbed work
and social functioning. People with
schizophrenia may also engage in speech
that does not make sense, exhibit silly or
childlike facial expressions, and
experience poor memory or confusion.
