A person’s period of extremely happy or elated mood may be followed by another phase Characterised by a significantly and perpetually lowered mood. One may experience persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood– an overwhelming feeling of sadness and hopelessness about the future.
One may experience a loss of motivation to eat or a decrease in motivation in general (in contrast to the rapid flow of creative ideas and the high energy to accomplish these ideas, as experienced in an elevated episode) and may experience a loss of enjoyment in the activities that they used to take a lot of pleasure in earlier.
Additionally, one may find oneself experiencing frequent sleep disturbances, possibly owing to an increased level of anxiety. They find it difficult to fall asleep, might wake up frequently during the night or wake up early in the morning finding it difficult to get back to sleep later.
There is also a continual sense of one’s own inability to be of use to anyone, becoming convinced that one is “useless” and “worthless”.
One may gradually lose interest in social activities and sex, experience slowed thinking, often finding it difficult to concentrate and make decisions. This can often create anxiety or agitation in a person.
When a person becomes overwhelmed by their feelings of hopelessness and despair, they may also have thoughts of ending their lives or make plans to commit suicide.
