Falling in love can be an exhilarating and blissful experience. However, for some people with bipolar disorder, the rush of emotions and euphoria associated with new love can trigger manic or hypomanic episodes. Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition characterized by extreme shifts in mood and energy levels. The manic phase of bipolar involves feelings of elevated mood, increased energy, reduced need for sleep, racing thoughts, and impulsive behavior. When not properly managed, falling in love can initiate this excited, euphoric state for people with bipolar disorder.
What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness marked by dramatic shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. The disorder used to be called manic depression because a person’s mood can alternate between the “poles” of mania (highs) and depression (lows).
The key symptoms of bipolar disorder are:
- Mania – feeling very euphoric, energetic, and impulsive
- Hypomania – a less severe form of mania
- Depression – feeling very sad, hopeless, and lethargic
Bipolar disorder affects about 2.8% of American adults each year. It typically begins in young adulthood from ages 18-24, although it can occur at any point in life. The exact cause is unknown but believed to involve a combination of genetics, brain structure, and environmental factors.
With proper treatment such as medication and psychotherapy, many people with bipolar lead healthy, stable lives. However, episodes can still be triggered by major life events, stress, or other factors like falling in love.
Can Falling in Love Really Trigger Bipolar Episodes?
Yes, the rush of emotions and euphoria associated with falling in love can absolutely ignite manic or hypomanic symptoms in someone with bipolar disorder. Here’s why:
Brain Chemical Changes
Falling in love causes major changes in brain chemistry. Powerful hormones and neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin flood the brain, creating feelings of intense euphoria, passion, and desire. For most people, these chemical changes are pleasurable and short-lived. But in someone prone to mania, this rush of hormones may flip the switch, initiating a manic or hypomanic episode.
Sleep Disturbances
Mania often goes hand-in-hand with reduced need for sleep. Falling in love also frequently causes sleeplessness and late nights together. This sleep disruption can increase the risk of mania in a person with bipolar disorder.
Impulsivity
Both falling in love and mania are associated with impulsive behavior driven by intense emotions. The shared trait of impulsivity is another reason why falling in love may provoke manic symptoms.
Life Changes
Falling in love brings major changes to daily routines, habits, priorities, and responsibilities as two lives merge together. For someone with bipolar, significant life changes and events are a common mania trigger.
So in summary, the brain chemical changes, sleep disturbances, impulsivity, and life changes related to falling in love may all contribute to triggering manic or hypomanic episodes in someone prone to bipolar disorder.
Specific Ways Love Can Trigger Mania
Here are some more specific examples of how the behaviors, emotions, and experiences associated with new love and relationships can spark manic symptoms:
- Feeling euphoric, energetic, and mentally “switched on”
- Having racing thoughts about the partner
- Trouble sleeping because of excitement or sexual activity
- Impulsively spending money on gifts, trips, etc.
- Neglecting normal responsibilities
- Displaying hypersexuality and heightened desire
- Talking rapidly about grand relationship plans
- Having delusions about the perfection of the partner
- Showing poor judgment and risky behavior
These are some common manic symptoms that can arise when a person prone to bipolar falls head-over-heels in love. The psychiatrist may need to adjust medications to stabilize intense mood and energy shifts triggered by the relationship.
Hypomania vs. Mania
What’s the difference between hypomania and full-blown mania triggered by falling in love? Here’s a comparison:
| Hypomania | Mania |
|---|---|
| Mildly elevated mood and energy | Highly elevated mood and energy |
| Increased productivity and activity | Extremely increased activity and impulsivity |
| Somewhat more talkative | Racing speech and thoughts |
| Generally able to function | Erratic behavior with poor judgment |
| Lasts less than 4 days | Lasts 4+ days if untreated |
The difference lies in severity and duration. Hypomania is a less extreme version that may even be productive at first. But it can evolve into a more serious manic episode without proper mood regulation.
Can Love Also Trigger Depression?
Yes, in some cases, falling in love may trigger depressive symptoms instead of mania in someone with bipolar disorder. Here’s why:
- The partner is unavailable, distant, or rejecting
- The thrill wears off and is replaced by emptiness or boredom
- The partnership involves conflict or causes stress
- The romance ends painfully
When a romantic relationship takes an unhappy turn, instead of prompting mania it may plunge a person with bipolar into a major depression. The mix of rejection, disappointment, and loss can be devastating. This demonstrates how falling in love may tip the scales toward either mania or depression, depending on the circumstances.
Tips to Manage Bipolar When Falling in Love
If you have bipolar disorder, here are some tips to minimize episodes and maintain stability when falling in love:
- Don’t stop medication – continue taking your mood stabilizers!
- Keep up with therapy and psychiatrist visits
- Communicate openly with your partner
- Watch for warning signs like reduced sleep, impulsivity, etc.
- Avoid major life changes too quickly
- Don’t neglect self-care like diet, exercise, and sleep
- Limit stimulating activities if mania develops
- Enlist help from loved ones
The key is managing medication, looking for early symptoms, communicating with your treatment team, and making the partnership a source of health rather than instability.
The Bottom Line
Falling head-over-heels in love can certainly ignite manic or depressive symptoms in someone prone to bipolar disorder. The rush of hormones, sleep loss, impulsivity, and life changes around relationships can all be triggering. Being aware of the risks and staying closely connected to your treatment team can help minimize episodes so you can enjoy the magic and pleasures of new love. With the right supports, even someone with bipolar can have balanced, healthy relationships.