Are aggressive and destroying behavior, symptoms of bipolar disorder?

Question

Hi doctor,

My father abuses me a lot and eats a lot. He is really aggressive. He also has some memory problems due to overconsumption of alcohol. Unless we give food he starts destroying things. So, I think he is suffering from bipolar disorder. What should I do?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Increase appetite, aggressive behavior, and destroying things are symptoms of bipolar mania. But, in bipolar mania, there is decreased need for sleep. So, it may be bipolar mania. To make a definite diagnosis, I need to know more details about his behavior. Does he have symptoms like demanding behavior, increased talk, tall claims, familiarity, and racing thoughts? When it was started? Is this the first episode? If this is the first episode, then it would be called mania only, not bipolar disorder or bipolar mania. Is there any past history of the same symptoms or any depression episode?

Thank you.