Anxiety is a feeling of worry which causes uneasiness and restlessness in a person. Excessive worry and fear about everyday situations that lead to sweating, rapid breathing, or fatigue are symptoms of Anxiety.
Key Takeaways
- Anxiety is when a person experiences persistent worry or fears disproportionate to the situation.
- Bipolar is a mental illness characterized by episodes of extreme mood swings, ranging from depression to mania.
- While anxiety and bipolar disorder can have overlapping symptoms, they are different conditions requiring different treatments.
Anxiety vs Bipolar
Anxiety can be caused by stress, but Bipolar disease is a mental disorder. People with anxiety are not comfortable interacting with people, and they avoid socialising, on the contrary, people with bipolar disorders are more social and communicative and have no issues interacting with people.
Anxiety is the fear that strikes before facing a difficult problem or a particularly stressful situation. If the condition is frequent, it can be categorized as a disorder.
Bipolarity is a mental and emotional disorder marked by extreme mood shifts from depressive (lows) to maniac (highs). Depressive episodes include symptoms such as low energy and motivation, loss of sleep, and interest in daily activities.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Anxiety | Bipolar |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep Schedules | A person with anxiety disorder can get easily irritated when they get little to no sleep. | They themselves feel the need for reduced sleep and do not get bothered by it. |
| Behavioral patterns | They feel tired most of the time and have constant fears in mind. | They can feel overwhelming happiness and stress-free at times or extremely low on energy during lows. |
| Social Interaction | They face difficulty in facing and interacting with the crowd. At most times, they avoid social situations. | They tend to be more social and friendly. Great in communication and maintaining social and professional relations. |
| Confidence | They develop less self-esteem due to fearful situations and value themselves less than others. | They tend to have higher self-esteem and behave very impulsively (quick decisions without thinking). |
| Duration | They get frequent episodes while facing a particular situation. Such a person needs constant reassurance from their close ones. | Their mood shifts can range from weeks to years. In some cases, it is frequent while others can experience it less often. |
What is Anxiety?
When anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time, it gets developed into the condition of Anxiety disorder.
The cause of Anxiety is not known, but symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as performance in workspaces and schoolwork and also with social and personal relationships.
Anxiety can be categorized into three categories majorly: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder or Phobias. In GAD, people worry excessively about ordinary everyday situations.
A person suffering from panic disorder gets panic attacks, they might have sudden intense and repeated episodes where they start to sweat, and their heart rate increases rapidly.
The factors leading to anxiety are diverse and unknown. Introverted, shy people and ones who might have experienced trauma due to some major incidents in the past tend to suffer more from anxiety.
What is Bipolar?
Bipolar disorder is a common form of mental illness. People with bipolar disorder get both crazy highs called manic episodes and lows called depressive episodes.
Manic and depressive episodes can include psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations or delusions. Mixed episodes, which have features of manic and depressive episodes at the same time, also occur in some affected individuals.
Much lesser is known about the genetics of bipolar disorder. Bipolarity is not a rare condition but can be hard to diagnose because of its diverse symptoms.
Main Differences Between Anxiety and Bipolar
- Anxious people develop less self-esteem, and Bipolars tend to have higher self-esteem.
- A person with anxiety gets frequent episodes of it while facing a particular situation. In bipolarity, mood shifts can range from weeks to years.
Last Updated : 14 August, 2023
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
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The detailed explanations of anxiety and bipolar disorder are valuable. It helps in raising awareness and understanding of mental health conditions.