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Bipolar Disorder

Signs You Need Help

If a person experiences these serious mood symptoms for most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks, this is an indication that the person may have Bipolar Disorder.

Some common symptoms of mania are:

A long period of feeling high, uncharacteristically outgoing and having excess energy

  • Feeling extremely irritable, jumpy or wired
  • Talking very fast, jumping from one topic to another
  • Feeling like one's thoughts are racing
  • Being easily distracted, unable to focus on one thing or concentrate
  • Being restless, unable to stay in one place
  • Needing very little sleep
  • Having an unrealistically positive belief in one's abilities

Having impaired judgment — leading to impulsive actions or risky behaviors such as spending sprees, uncharacteristically promiscuous sexual behavior and questionable business investments.

Some common symptoms of a depressive episode are:

  • Feeling sad, crying
  • Thinking about death or suicide, talking about suicide or attempting suicide.
  • A long period of feeling worried, hopeless or empty
  • Loss of interest in activities one usually enjoys
  • Sleeping too much or not being able to sleep
  • Having no appetite or eating too much
  • Feeling tired or slowed down
  • Having problems concentrating, remembering or making decisions
  • Being restless or irritable
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Our Services

C4 offers an array of services to help someone experiencing Bipolar Disorder or other mood-related problems. C4 counselors offer therapy, psycho-education and support, and can help you develop new skills to manage your illness. They will listen in an emotionally supportive and non-judgmental way, respect your confidentiality, and assist you in making the changes that you want. Counseling sessions help you sort out and prioritize your problems, resolve conflict with others, and improve relationships.

Community support services can help you regain skills in managing activities of daily living and community functioning that may have been impaired by bipolar symptoms. Case management services can assist you in connecting to other C4 or community services.

When appropriate, a psychiatrist will provide further evaluation and determine if medication might be beneficial and will prescribe and monitor its use.

For more information on C4 services, or to make an appointment, call 773.769.0205.

If you are a family member or friend of someone you believe may be suffering from bipolar disorder, you are welcome to call with questions about bipolar disorder and C4 services.

Bipolar disorder

Bipolar Disorder is an illness characterized by severe swings in a person’s mood and energy level. These swings are different from the normal ups and downs that everyone experiences. They are extreme, often very distressing to the person experiencing them and can seriously interfere with the person’s ability to function. Having an overly excited mood or an extreme excess of energy can be a sign of a manic episode. Having an extremely sad or hopeless mood with little or no energy can be a sign of a depressive episode. Sometimes people with Bipolar Disorder experience rapid mood swings between these two states.

While the exact cause of Bipolar Disorder is unknown, most scientists believe that the disorder is likely caused by multiple factors that interact with each other to produce a chemical imbalance affecting certain parts of the brain. Bipolar Disorder often runs in families, and studies suggest a genetic component to the illness. A stressful environment or negative life events may interact with an underlying genetic or biological vulnerability to produce the disorder. Regardless of the causes of Bipolar Disorder, the symptoms can create significant stress and difficulty in the life of the individual suffering from the disease, as well as that individual’s family and friends.

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