Mental health · UKMLA & AKT
Bipolar affective disorder
A free high-yield preview for the UKMLA Applied Knowledge Test. Below are the key points to recognise bipolar affective disorder — the full SA Note notes add investigations, management, complications and 10 practice questions.
Key high-yield points
- Elevated/expansive mood - euphoria or uncharacteristic irritability
- Grandiosity - inflated self-esteem, extravagant plans, spending sprees
- Decreased need for sleep - feels rested after 2-3 hours (differs from insomnia)
- Pressured speech - rapid, loud, difficult to interrupt
- Flight of ideas - rapid topic changes WITH discernible links; listener can follow the thread
- Distractibility - attention easily drawn to irrelevant stimuli
- Increased goal-directed activity - multiple simultaneous projects
- Risky behaviour - gambling, sexual disinhibition, reckless driving
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