Anxiety is closely related to bipolar disorder and, because of this, sometimes bipolar disorder is also called “anxious mania”. Anxiety in bipolar disorder can be of two types: anxiety as a symptom of bipolar disorder and a separate anxiety condition along with bipolar disorder.
Anxiety in bi polar
When anxiety comes as a symptom of bipolar disorder the patient feels agitated, restless and nervous. They may be unable to calm down and will be pacing and walking as if they are searching for something. Sometimes they report a feeling that something is going to explode inside their body or head and they may not able to concentrate on anything. If this anxiety comes combined with depression it can lead to suicide attempts.
Anxiety as a separate condition
When anxiety is a separate condition from bipolar disorder, the patient will show all the symptoms of bipolar disorder along with symptoms of anxiety. There are different forms of this type of anxiety including: social phobia, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and specific phobias. Sometimes various forms will present in a bipolar disorder patient. There are also people who have only one or two forms of this anxiety. It is a good idea to look at the difference between the most common forms of anxiety and their symptoms in bipolar disorder patients.
Social Phobia - Social phobia is characterized by an intense fear of situations involving other people, especially fear of crowds. When people with this phobia are exposed to a crowd they will feel embarrassed and anxiety will grow inside them. Bipolar disorder patients with social phobia feel agitated or irritated when they are exposed to large groups of people so they prefer to hide away from society all the time.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder - This condition is characterized by unrealistic worry lasting for six months or more. The reason for the worry may be unknown to the patient. This unknown worry with bipolar disorder symptoms bothers them tremendously and they may think of suicide as a way to be free of their worries.
Panic Disorder - People with panic disorder feel severe panic attacks which can make them feel that they are having a heart attack. Symptoms include sweating, trembling, shortness of breath nausea, chest pain and a fear of dying. Around 20% of bipolar disorder patients have panic disorder.
Treatment for anxiety and bi polar
Many of the treatments for depression work well for anxiety. Cognitive behavior therapy and medication can wonders for anxiety but as the anxiety comes along with bipolar disorder, the bipolar disorder must be treated first. If it is not, the antidepressants used for anxiety treatment will worsen the bipolar disorder.
