Health Conditions A-Z Mental Health Conditions Bipolar Disorder 5 Subtle Signs of Bipolar Disorder By Health.com Editorial Team Health.com Editorial Team An article by 'Health.com Editorial Team' indicates a collaborative effort from our in-house team. Sometimes, several writers and editors may contribute to an article over the years. These collaborations allow Health.com editors to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information available. The editors at Health.com are a dedicated team of experienced health editors, writers, and other media professionals who strive to bring trustworthy and responsible health and medical content to their readers. As a team, we have decades of experience in health journalism, and have worked at legacy publishers and some of the biggest news and media companies in the U.S. health's editorial guidelines Published on June 15, 2017 Share Tweet Pin Email Bipolar disorder is a very complex mental illness, and can be challenging to identify and understand. According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 2.6% of adults in the United States are living with this condition. But the number is likely higher than that because because bipolar 1 disorder (like many other mood and personality disorders) is often misdiagnosed or overlooked. In the case of bipolar, symptoms can be misconstrued as signs of chronic depression, anxiety, or even just moodiness. "Chalking it up to moodiness or trouble at work or tiredness is pretty common," Carrie Bearden, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA told Health in a previous interview. "The disorder varies in severity." However, there are some red flags that you or a loved one are experiencing more than just mood swings or tiredness: Are your moods very extreme, and generally pivot between high and low? For example, do you experience extreme exuberance along with episodes of depression? During these depressive states, do you experience significant trouble with your appetite, energy, and sleep? Do you find it’s challenging to complete tasks, and have a slew of half-complete projects in your life? These are just a few potential symptoms of the serious mental illness. Watch this video to learn more about the subtle signs of bipolar 1 disorder. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit