What Mania and Bipolar I Depression May Feel Like 

Gabe
Before I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I honestly believed this was just a normal set of mood swings. Picture your worst day and picture your best day, and imagine vacillating back and forth between that. Mania is one of these fascinating symptoms of bipolar disorder that everybody loves because mania just makes you feel awesome.
Christine
When the mania hits, I can either be bouncing up and down off the walls, have nonstop energy when I just go, go, go or just scream, scream, scream. I believe I actually feel what The Incredible Hulk feels like. I can just feel the anger rise up in my body.
Margaret
One of the symptoms of my bipolar is shopping. I go crazy. I buy stuff I don't need. I just buy, buy, buy. It makes me feel better.
Gabe
It makes you feel like a million dollars. It gives you all of this energy, you have all of these creative thoughts and you have all of this ability to do all this stuff.

What does bipolar I depression feel like to you?

Christine
I didn't want to be around anybody. I didn't even want to be. I didn't want to see the sunlight. It took most of my energy to get out of bed to be a mother.
Gabe
When I was in some of my worst depression states, I would lay in bed and I didn't have the energy to get up and I wouldn't shower and I wouldn't brush my teeth and I wouldn't eat.
Margaret
Sometimes if I'm going through a bout of depression, I'll sleep for 14 hours and not want to deal with anything. I like, coil up like a turtle. I just want to go into my own little shell.
Christine
I will go lock myself in the bathroom, cry, scream into a pillow. And that's basically the only thing I can do until it passes.

*This content does not constitute medical advice or establish a patient-physician relationship. Please talk to your healthcare provider about your specific treatment needs.

What Mania and Bipolar I Depression May Feel Like

Text on screen

The people featured in this video are sharing their individual experiences living with bipolar I. They have all been compensated for their time.

Individual experiences with the condition and treatment will vary. This resource is brought to you by AbbVie.

What does mania feel like to you?

Gabe

Before I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I honestly believed this was just a normal set of mood swings. Picture your worst day and picture your best day, and imagine vacillating back and forth between that. Mania is one of these fascinating symptoms of bipolar disorder that everybody loves because mania just makes you feel awesome.

Christine

When the mania hits, I can either be bouncing up and down off the walls, have nonstop energy when I just go, go, go, or just scream, scream, scream. I believe I actually feel what The Incredible Hulk feels like. I can just feel the anger rise up in my body.

Margaret

One of the symptoms of my bipolar is shopping. I go crazy. I buy stuff I don’t need. I just buy, buy, buy. It makes me feel better.

Gabe

It makes you feel like a million dollars. It gives you all of this energy, you have all of these creative thoughts and you have all of this ability to do all this stuff.

Text on screen

What does bipolar I depression feel like to you?

Christine

I didn’t want to be around anybody. I didn’t even want to be. I didn’t want to see the sunlight. It took most of my energy to get out of bed to be a mother.

Gabe

When I was in some of my worst depression states, I would lay in bed and I didn’t have the energy to get up and I wouldn’t shower and I wouldn’t brush my teeth and I wouldn’t eat.

Margaret

Sometimes if I’m going through a bout of depression, I’ll sleep for 14 hours and not want to deal with anything. I like, coil up like a turtle. I just want to go into my own little shell.

Christine

I will go lock myself in the bathroom, cry, scream into a pillow. And that’s basically the only things I can do until it passes.

Text on screen

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*Terms and conditions apply. Available to commercially insured patients only. See Terms and Conditions for full details.

*This content does not constitute medical advice or establish a patient-physician relationship. Please talk to your healthcare provider about your specific treatment needs.

*Terms and conditions apply. Available to commercially insured patients only. See Terms and Conditions for full details.