Depression-Bipolar Signs Color Index

Depression-Bipolar Color Severity Index

This index is for determining severity of depression, or if a person is manic or hypomanic, to help eliminate uncertainty and guesswork. Strange as it may seem, depressive and bipolar individuals often do not realize that what they are experiencing is abnormal, even in the throes of a black depression or a red mania. Mood and feelings change slowly over time, and appear to remain constant to the individual. Changes are often noticed first by others before the individual realizes he/she needs help.
If you fall into the red or black territory of the chart, know that you are officially "over the edge," so you can stop guessing and start seeking medical help for your disorder or episode. Call your doctor now (you can leave a message during off hours) or a Crisis Center National Database.

Depression & Bipolar Signs by Color Index
Color Level	Description & Characteristics
Red - Unmanageable High (Mania)	little self-control, ranting/raving, many regrettable actions, rash decision making and impulsivity, uncontrolled spending, unable to recall manic actions after-the-fact (manic blackout), arrests for public disturbances or other behavior, extreme insensitivity, cannot tolerate people, explosive anger and rage, extreme emotions, crudeness, rudeness, unable to concentrate or stay with one topic, feeling as if having you had taken cocaine, outpouring of creative energy, feelings of unlimited energy, can go days without sleep or food, delusions of divination or grandeur, reckless drug or alcohol use, hypersexuality
Orange - Unstable High (Hypo mania)	unusually energetic and positive, insightful, flight/rush of thoughts and ideas, elated feeling, inflated self-esteem or grandeur, quick motions or gestures, very talkative, unusually outgoing and sociable, increased impulsivity, some difficulty concentrating, some regrettable actions or decisions, little need for sleep or food, impatience, nervousness, agitation, easily irritable, feeling as if you drank 20 cups of coffee, pushy, overly insistent or overbearing, increased use of drugs or alcohol, increased sexual interest, heightened senses (colors seem brighter, taste and smell stronger, etc)†
Purple - Manageable High (Elation***)	above average energy, positive, optimistic, improved performance / feeling in "the zone," clear-headed, concentration and memory seem improved, smiles a lot, increased self esteem, increased sociability, more talkative than normal, improved planning and decision making ability, increased interest and time spent on work or hobbies, no anger, no irritability or agitation, no uncontrollable rush of ideas or flight of thought, no impulsive or unusually risky behavior
Green - Functional ( "Normal"**)	generally positive thinking, able to get along with people, able to smile and laugh, little or no irritation, normal self-esteem, concentration and memory are regular, sleep mostly regular, energy is normal, interest in activities is normal, eating is regular, normal sensory perception†
Blue - Down Mood (Depression*)	low mood, irritability, difficulty concentrating, little or no smiling, diminished positive attitude, some difficulty interacting with people, oversleeping or undersleeping, overeating (comfort eating) or undereating, some loss of interest in usual activities and libido, crying, reduced self-esteem, feeling tired or sluggish, some self-medication (cigarettes, alcohol, pot, pills, etc), some missed work and social events
Brown - Non-Functional (Deep Depression)	thoughts of suicide or self-injury, mostly negative thinking, explosive attitude, anger and irritability, combatative, very low self-esteem, inability to function - many missed work days and social events, memory problems, loss of feeling or pleasure, near total loss of interest in usual activities, difficulty interacting with people, comfort behavior (rubbing self, pacing, repetitive actions, etc), inability to laugh or smile, weeping, isolation / self-confinement, fatigue, oversleeping and/or insomnia, loss of libido, regular self-medication (alcohol, tobacco, pot, pills, drugs), reduced sensory perception†
Black - Critical/Crisis (Severe Depression)	suicidal planning / action, self-Injury, planning or acting to hurt others, emotional breakdowns / meltdowns, generally unable to interact with people, inability to move or get out of bed, constant negative ideation and recall, little to no self-esteem, athymia (no feeling or emotion) and total loss of interest for any activities, wailing, writhing, fetal positions (curled into ball), constant crying or inability to cry at all, inability to imagine anything positive, somnolence or insomnia, constant self-medication, extreme isolation, senses severely dulled (colors dull, music lifeless, food tasteless)†

* - Depression has two varieties: vegetative, and agitated. Agitation is irritability and anger, where as vegetation is apathy and sluggishness/indolence. Agitation is also present in mania (red) and hypo mania (orange).

** - "Normal" is relative. There is no "average" (normal) mood or disposition for people, like there is an average height or weight. Even if there were an "average mood," it would be an "unrealistic average," not representative of anything real. This is like the average "number of kids per household." ... Nobody has exactly 2.3 kids, but that is the "average" number per family -- albeit an unrealistic one.

*** - Elation, as in being elated, having a good day, or generally being in a good mood. Most people find this state of mind to be favorable; However, for a bipolar individual, this state may be a precursor to hypo mania or mania.

Note: The index does not factor in anxiety, which is often present with depression. I personally don't have anxiety, so I don't know how to categorize its symptoms.

Mixed moods can be noted by using two colors in a striped pattern. A mixed mood is the unholy state of experiencing features of both depression and elation (mania) at exactly the same time. It is very difficult to explain in words, and equally difficult to imagine if you've never experienced it. In the extreme example of black & red: it's the feeling of being so happy, you could kill yourself.

Feel free to substitute your own colors (such as pink or yellow for elated) if they feel more appropriate to you.

Personalizing the index will make it more effective for you. That is, write in your personal signs, indicators or symptoms to make it clearer when you've hit a certain level. For example, if you experience anxiety when depressed, note "anxiety" in the blue level. If you experience panic when deeply depressed, note it in the brown (deep depression) level. If you experience nightmare or sleep terror only when deeply or severely depressed, write those in, and so on.

Signs and symptoms can also be unique to your particular life. For example, if normally tolerable noises (e.g.: dog barking, baby crying, or children playing) seem "too loud" or regular sunlight seems intolerably bright, these are very good indicators of depression. Even more personal are unusual emotional reactions (e.g.: crying, extreme elation, extreme distaste or discomfort) for specific songs, sounds, images, movies, smells, foods, etc.

Below is an example of how Signs by Color Index is used for mood charting over a one week period. Notice that multiple moods can happen simultaneously or over the period of a day. Also, if you are uncertain of a mood, it can be noted with several strokes in multiple colors.

Please use whatever notation you feel comfortable with. Moods are as fickle as fire, so it makes sense to develop your own personal style that fits your persona.

Mon

Tue

Wed

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Above is an example of using colors not only as describing entire days, but even parts of days. In this example, the user is basically using the ups and down of the daily square to act as its own visual scale.

† Chemical imbalance of one or more of seratonin, norepenephrine, and endorphin (and possibly others) in bipolar spectrum affects perception of your environment, making color, sound, smell taste and touch extremely hightened and pleasurable with mania and severely dull and uninteresting with depression. Low levels of neurotransmitters cause one to experience loss of sensation, feeling, energy and drive. An overdose causes the reverse effect: extreme emotion, unusually rich sensation and perception, unlimited energy and dangerous impulsivity. Anti-depressant medications and mood stabilizers target these and other biochemical processes to control and correct the imbalance. So, again, call a doctor if you are experiencing any extreme symptoms (red, orange, brown or black) and haven't realized what is going on.

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