Hello Dr. Gorman.

Do people with bipolar disorder have days during their period of "normal mood" when they still exhibit symptoms of bipolar? I don't mean rapid cycling, but do patients that have bipolar with typical periods of mania and depression and stretches of normal mood in between occasionally have symptoms of mania/depression during those normal mood periods? Perhaps they have bad days where it's as if they have a full blown episode, or perhaps they just have stretches in their normal mood where they have only a few symptoms. Or do the patients experience no symptoms of bipolar during the normal states?

Thank you,
C.

This is a very important question. Everything we see in psychiatry is an extension of so called normal. What we refer to as abnormal is either an increase in intensity (I'm so depressed, I can only think of suicide) or duration (my energy and optimism is so high, I don't need sleep for at least 4 to 7 days). It only makes sense that during wellness or a stable period of bipolar disorder, the person will have symptoms that are similar to manic or depressive symptoms, however the duration and intensity are "normal".

The other important factor is that people who have experienced mania or depression to an extent requiring help, will be more vigilant or able to notice symptoms that the average person would ignore.

Hope this answers your question adequately, and thanks for writing.

Dr. Chris Gorman, the Optimal Performance Doctor.