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PMS or Bipolar Disorder?

By Michele Soloway Sexton

PMS (premenstrual syndrome) and bipolar disorder have several symptoms in common, but they are definitely two completely separate disorders.
The most frequently reported symptoms of PMS are the following:

• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Nervous tension
• Depression
• Mood Swings
• Feeling overwhelmed or out of control

• Physical symptoms:
  • Swelling or bloating of the abdomen or extremities
  • Appetite changes
  • Food cravings
  • Aches
  • Breast Tenderness

Patients with PMS or bipolar disorder may also take the same medications for their disorder.

Women who have a family history of bipolar disorder and in whom the disorder has been passed down (i.e., they have the heredity factor of bipolar disorder) will have symptoms which obviously have to do with bipolar disorder, and not just some hormonal features and/or the physical symptoms of a woman with PMS.

These women will often have a return of symptoms they used to have all the time, just before menses. In other words, they may get better from their bipolar mood swings (i.e., their medication is working for their bipolar disorder), yet "start up again" (have a breakthrough episode) with a premenstrual increase in symptoms.

In other words, if you have bipolar disorder and are on medication for it and are following a good treatment program for it, you should be enjoying a long period of stability for the disorder. However, you might "flare up" at "that time of the month." So it is possible for you to have both disorders – equal but separate, and easily differentiated in this case; mostly because of the obvious physical symptoms that precipitate PMS but not bipolar disorder.

So is it PMS or bipolar disorder? Technically, if PMS symptoms show up anytime other than 3-5 days prior to your period, and/or if they last greater than 10 days, then it is more likely to be bipolar disorder.

In either case, if you have any questions about either or both of these disorders, ask your doctor.

About the Author

Michele Soloway Sexton has dealt with bipolar disorder from a very young age. Her grandmother, mother, herself, and her teenage son all have the disorder. She also lost her sister to suicide because of bipolar disorder. Michele has a blog for bipolar survivors at http://bipolarsurvivor.blogspot.com, and is also a contributing writer to www.bipolarcentral.com.

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Featured Article:

Romancing Your Spouse

"Romancing your spouse?" Ok, I can already hear you yelling at me! I know, it's a strange concept, but hear me out. Some of the longest-running marriages have lasted because of this very concept.

You may be thinking that this has nothing to do with Bipolar Disorder, but it does. Even the best of marriages has some strain on it - the pressures of day-to-day living, at the very least. However, Bipolar Disorder puts additional pressure on your marriage because of the issues you have to face in dealing with the disorder, whether you are the survivor or the supporter.

No matter how long you've been married, the suggestions in this article can put some "spark" into your marriage. And if you've only been married a short time, putting these suggestions into place now can help ensure a long, happy, healthy marriage (of course, you will still have to do some hard work yourself to make that happen as well!).

Click here to read the entire aritcle

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