Has he been on any meds? I would make a list of the meds, amounts, effects, whether it worked or not, etc.
I would try to think of a brief history. At least times when he displayed manic or depressive tendencies. Lenght of time, time of year, how he acts during these times, his sleeping patterns, his spending habits, if he's cheated, how he treats you during these times, if he has any anger issues. The following guidelines may help:
Mania:
MOOD
Abnormally elevated, expansive (euphoric)
Irritable, critical, argumentative, stubborn
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
Deceased need for sleep
Insomnia; stays up all night
Increased appetite
Sudden weight loss
Increased sexual drive (often to point of hypersexuality)
Catatonia (psychotic stage)
BEHAVIOR
Impulsive
Intrusive, uninhibited
Increased goal setting and creativity
Anger and rage
Disorganized, easily distracted
Recklessness; spending money, bad business investments, sexual misadventures
No concern about consequences of behavior
Refusal to accept the possibility that something may be "wrong" with thinking or behavior.
Blames others for reasons they did inappropriate behavior
Grossly disorganized (psychotic state)
THINKING
Inflated self-concepts of power, greatness,
importance (grandiosity)
Pressured speech
Racing thoughts (flights of ideas)
Rapid shifts of attention
Poor concentration
Memory distortion
Inability to see problems caused by own actions; problems typically attributed to someone or something else
Delusions (psychotic stage)
Disorganized, incoherent speech (psychotic state)
SENSES
Lowering of CNS excitability; Lack of sensitivity to heat, cold, hunger, thirst, pain, injury
Seeks over-stimulation
Hallucinations (psychotic stage)
Depression:
MOOD
Depressed, sad or very irritable; cannot be "cheered up" (dysphoria)
Loss of interest and pleasure in daily activities
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
Insomnia or sleeping too much
Loss of appetite or eating too much
Feeling slowed down or too agitated to sit still
Extreme fatigue and lack energy
Decreased sexual drive
Catatonia (psychotic stage)
BEHAVIOR
Decreased motivation
Decreased performance
Withdrawal and isolation
Loss of gratification in effort
Lack of attention to hygiene and appearance
No desire to talk, interact, socialize
THINKING
Accusatory, self-blaming thoughts
Dwelling on guilt and personal failures
Having very low self-esteem
Inability to think, remember, concentrate
Marked indifference
Recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicidal plans
Delusions (psychotic stage)
Disorganized, incoherent speech (psychotic stage)
SENSES
Heightened sensitivity of the central nervous system (CNS)
Hypersensitive to noise, light, stress
Hallucinations (psychotic stage)
I'm thinking I need to review this list myself.
Post edited by: bethb2004, at: 09/26/2011 08:02 PM
