• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FHE Health - Addiction & Mental Health Care Homepage

Drug, Alcohol and Mental Health Treatment

ContactCareers

Call for Immediate Help (833) 596-3502

MENUMENU
  • About
        • About FHE Rehab
          • About FHE Health
          • Our Staff
          • Locations We Serve
          • Testimonials
        • Our Campus
          • Gallery
          • Our Videos
          • The Health and Wellness Center at FHE Health
        • Our Locations
          • Alcohol Rehab
          • Detox Center
          • Drug Rehab
          • Mental Health Center
          • Outpatient Rehab
        • Careers at FHE Health
          • Employment Opportunities
        • Our Expertise
          • Accreditations
          • Educational Opportunities
          • Community Impact Award
          • First Responder Families Podcast
          • First Responder Paws
          • Education Scholarship
  • Addiction
        • Treatment Programs
          • Treatment Program Overview
          • Alcohol Addiction
          • Drug Addiction Treatment
          • Behavioral Addiction
        • Levels of Care
          • Continuum of Care
          • Addiction Detox
          • Inpatient Addiction Treatment
          • Outpatient Addiction Treatment
        • What We Treat
          • Alcoholism
          • Amphetamines
          • Benzodiazepines
          • Cocaine
          • Heroin
          • Opioids
          • Sedative
  • Mental Health
        • Mental Health Rehab
          • Mental Health Rehab
          • Onsite Psychiatric Care
          • Dual Diagnosis
        • Levels of Care
          • Residential Mental Health Care
          • Outpatient Mental Health Care
        • What We Treat
          • ADD & ADHD
          • Anxiety Disorders
          • Bipolar Disorder
          • Depression
          • Eating Disorders
          • Personality Disorders
          • PTSD
          • Schizophrenia
          • Substance Use Disorder
          • Trauma
  • Programs
        • FHE Programs
          • Specialty Program Overview
          • Restore (Mental Health)
          • Empower! (Women's Program)
          • Shatterproof FHE Health(First Responders)
          • Compass Program
        • Support Programs
          • Alumni
          • Family Support
        • Therapies
          • Acupuncture
          • Breathwork Therapy
          • CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
          • DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy)
          • EMDR Therapy
          • Expressive Arts Therapy
          • Individual Therapy
          • Group Therapy
          • Gambling Therapy
          • Massage
        • Medical Care
          • Medical Integration
          • Ketamine Infusion
          • IV Vitamin
          • Fitness & Nutrition
          • Medication-Assisted Treatment
          • Medication Management
        • NeuroRehab Services
          • Neuro Rehabilitation
          • Neurofeedback Training
          • Neurostimulation Therapy
          • EEG Brain Mapping
          • Insomnia Treatment for PTSD
  • Resources
        • FHE Guides
          • Understanding Drug Abuse
          • Signs of Addiction
          • The Disease of Addiction
          • Confronting Addiction
          • Staging an Intervention
          • Rehab Success Rate – Does It Really Work?
          • Withdrawal Timelines
          • Life After Rehab
          • LGBTQ+ Community Resources
          • Veteran Resources
          • FHE Podcasts
          • Remote Resources Toolkit
        • Learning Center
          • Help for You
          • Help For Loved Ones
          • Help For Alcoholism
          • Help With Substance Abuse
          • Behavioral & Mental Health
          • Life in Recovery
          • Rehab Explained
          • Addiction Statistics
          • Our Research Articles
          • View All Articles
        • The Experience Blog
          • Addiction News
          • Alumni
          • Community Events
          • Expert Opinions
          • FHE Commentary
          • FHE News
          • Treatment Legislation
          • View All Articles
  • Admissions
        • Insurance
          • Blue Cross Insurance
          • Beacon Health / Value Options Insurance
          • Cigna Insurance
          • Humana Insurance
          • TRICARE Insurance
        • Admissions
          • Steps to Addiction Help
          • Will Insurance Cover Behavioral Treatment?
          • Self-Pay Rehab
        • FAQ
          • Keeping Your Job in Rehab
          • Example Day in Rehab
        • Contact Admissions
          • Contact Us
          • Secure Payment Form
  • Contact
  •  
Home > Featured in Mental Health > What It’s Like to Experience Bipolar Episodes

October 28, 2022 By Kristina Robb-Dover

What It’s Like to Experience Bipolar Episodes

Experience bipolar episodes

Bipolar disorder is a lifelong mental health condition that’s characterized by extreme mood swings. These mood swings include periods of deep depression and manic, high-energy periods. People with this condition also experience periods between these two extremes when they feel quite “normal,” but various factors can trigger bipolar episodes to occur. While episodes can seemingly occur of their own accord as part of the nature of this disorder, they can also be triggered by external factors like drinking or drug abuse, relationship problems, job loss, or other stressful events.

It’s not uncommon for people with bipolar to experience relationship difficulties or financial problems, which can profoundly impact their lives. The extreme mood swing shifts, the behaviors they lead to, and the emotional upheaval can lead to a chaotic home life that loved ones may also find difficult. Once someone realizes that what they’re experiencing is, in fact, a mental health disorder, they can seek help. Fortunately, bipolar disorder can be treated and managed effectively.

What Is Bipolar Disorder and What Are Bipolar Episodes?

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness. People with the disorder experience extreme mood swings that go from severe depression to periods of euphoria. These mood swings impact the individual’s energy levels, sleep patterns, activities and behaviors, judgment, and even their ability to focus or think clearly. Often, the changes in mood are unpredictable. There are mild forms of bipolar disorder as well as more severe types when the individual suffers from symptoms that can be quite dangerous, involving suicidal thoughts and attempts.

Bipolar episodes refer to the periods of dark depression or the manic, high-energy phase (mania or hypomania). These “moods” do not typically involve day-to-day changes in mood. Instead, episodes can last for several days or weeks–even months. In some instances, an extreme mood can tip into psychosis–a break from reality. This, too, may last beyond a day.

Coping Day to Day with Bipolar Disorder

A typical day for someone with bipolar disorder depends on which period they’re in. During a manic period, a person may feel extremely social, talkative, and motivated to wake up early, work, or achieve any number of tasks or projects. They can feel upbeat for weeks, but the downside is that they may spend more money than they should or engage in high-risk behaviors. They may experience a high sex drive or feel compelled to drink or use drugs.

During the depressive phase, the individual who was once so lively and energetic may suddenly feel lethargic and hopeless. Instead of feeling social, they may prefer to be alone and isolated. It’s not uncommon to feel suicidal during this period.

The nature of the disease, particularly when unmanaged, means that these periods of mood imbalance will cycle or oscillate. The person suffering may feel like they have no control over the roller coaster that is their thoughts and emotions. This can create a profound sense of helplessness and even despair.

Understanding and Being Mindful of Triggers

A person with bipolar disorder must either cope with severe emotional distress or powerful manic urges and compulsions, depending on what type of episode they’re experiencing. While an episode can occur without any obvious trigger, it’s often triggered by a stressful event. Some common triggers of bipolar episodes include:

  • Not getting a proper amount of sleep
  • Travel stress (coping with different time zones)
  • Getting into an argument with a partner, family member, friend, or colleague
  • Seasonal changes (many people with bipolar disorder also have seasonal depression)
  • Divorce or breakup
  • Financial stress
  • Alcohol or drug use
  • The death of a loved one or friend

Any type of stress can trigger a bipolar episode. Unfortunately, stress can’t always be avoided. Even with the best efforts to avoid trigger situations, episodes may still occur.

Bipolar Crisis: How to Recognize It

When a person with bipolar disorder is going through either a depressive or manic phase, they may reach a crisis point that requires some type of intervention— usually medical intervention. A person with the disorder may not be able to recognize when they’ve reached a crisis point and need help.

A clear crisis during a depressive episode occurs when the individual begins to experience suicidal thoughts or takes steps to attempt suicide. At this point, the individual needs trained medical care. Attempting to “talk” to them yourself will be inadequate; emergency medical help is needed to address this situation.

Similarly, a person may need emergency medical care during a manic episode. Their mania or hypomania may become so uncontrolled that they experience psychosis. They may need to be hospitalized for a period of time until their condition can be managed. If the individual begins to experience hallucinations or delusions, they need emergency medical care. They may not recognize that they do. Regardless, these crisis moments demand emergency medical help.

The Emotional Impact of a Crisis

These crisis points can cause tremendous emotional distress for the person with bipolar disorder. Their judgment can become extremely impaired. However, what they feel is quite “real” in the sense they are experiencing these powerful emotions or thoughts, which often means that they can’t recognize when their thoughts and feelings take a dangerous turn.

How to Help Someone with Bipolar Disorder

If your loved one is suffering from this mental illness, there are many ways you can support them. When they’re experiencing either phase, it’s important to check on them whenever you can to ensure their symptoms aren’t worsening or heading toward a crisis point.

Providing Emotional Support

Let your loved one know they can trust you. Once they’ve been diagnosed with the illness and understand its nature, it will feel helpful for them to know they can trust someone to advise them when their moods take an extreme turn. They may feel like they can’t trust their own judgment in these situations, but knowing they can rely on yours may help alleviate some of their stress.

Encouraging Treatment and Self-Care

Next, encourage them to make all of their appointments with their mental health care providers and to continue to take any medications or keep up with other treatments prescribed. Not everyone manages their condition with medication, though it is effective for treating bipolar disorder. Some people complement their medical therapy with a physical fitness routine, yoga, or other holistic activities that can help with stress management.

Creating a Crisis Plan and Understanding Triggers

Next, help your loved one make a plan for what to do when they’re experiencing episodes. A crisis plan, in particular, is important to have in place. Know who to contact if your loved one begins to experience a crisis. Be sure you know how to contact their therapist or mental health care provider if needed. Otherwise, your plan can include helping them manage their finances during a manic phase or spending time together when they’re in a depressive phase.

Finally, learn as much as you can about bipolar disorder, particularly the type your loved one suffers from. Get to know what triggers episodes for them and what activities are most helpful for alleviating some of their symptoms. Although you can’t always help them avoid triggers, you may be able to help them manage them more effectively and with less distress.

The Need for Professional Support

You can support your loved one with bipolar disorder in numerous ways, but ultimately, this condition demands professional mental healthcare treatment. If your loved one experiences symptoms but hasn’t yet been diagnosed, it’s essential to encourage them to seek a diagnosis. There are different forms of the disease. Knowing precisely what they suffer from ensures they’ll get the best treatments for their condition.

If they have been diagnosed, be sure to encourage them to maintain their treatment appointments and to take their medications if prescribed. Their mental health care providers will help them to manage their condition successfully. Although there isn’t a cure for bipolar, it can be managed to the point that people can cope with their episodes in healthy ways and experience less discomfort. They may also experience fewer episodes with treatment.

Get Expert Care for Bipolar Disorder at FHE Health

At FHE Health, our experienced team of doctors and clinicians regularly treat bipolar disorder. If you or a loved one is experiencing extreme mood swings or other symptoms of a mental health condition, seek help immediately. A trusted provider should be able to diagnose your condition, treat and alleviate symptoms, and provide strategies for managing bipolar disorder in the long term.

Filed Under: Featured in Mental Health, Behavioral & Mental Health

About Kristina Robb-Dover

Kristina Robb-Dover is a content manager and writer with extensive editing and writing experience... read more

Primary Sidebar

Learning Center

  • Help for You
  • Help For Loved Ones
  • Help For Alcoholism
  • Help With Substance Abuse
  • Behavioral & Mental Health
  • Life in Recovery
  • Rehab Explained
  • All Articles

Sign up for the Blog

Our Facilities

Take a look at our state of the art treatment center.

View Our Gallery

The Experience Blog

  • Addiction News
  • Alumni
  • Community Events
  • Expert Columns
  • FHE Commentary
  • FHE News
  • Treatment Legislation
  • All Articles

Footer

FHE Health

© 2025 FHE Health

505 S Federal Hwy #2,
Deerfield Beach, Florida 33441
1-833-596-3502
youtube facebook instagram linkedin twitter
  • Contact
  • Careers at FHE Health
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
A+ BBB and Top Places to Work - Sun Sentinel

Copyright © 2025 · FHE Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}

The FHE Health team is committed to providing accurate information that adheres to the highest standards of writing. If one of our articles is marked with a ‘reviewed for accuracy and expertise’ badge, it indicates that one or more members of our team of doctors and clinicians have reviewed the article further to ensure accuracy. This is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure FHE Health is trusted as a leader in mental health and addiction care.

If there are any concerns about content we have published, please reach out to us at marketing@fhehealth.com.

833-596-3502

Text/Call Me