Benzodiazepines rapidly help control certain manic symptoms in bipolar disorder until mood-stabilizing drugs can take effect.

In the one eligible study, omega-3s were an effective adjunctive therapy for depressed but not manic symptoms in bipolar disorder.

Even when small successes do not arouse manic symptoms, they appear to prompt exaggerated surges of confidence.

The patients often don't have insight into their manic symptoms.

Antipsychotics are used to treat manic symptoms, such as reckless and impulsive behavior, and to help stabilize moods.

The same is true of so-called mixed mania, in which manic and depressive symptoms occur simultaneously.

However, mixed episodes rarely conform to these qualifications; they may be described more practically as any combination of depressive and manic symptoms.

For short-term relief of manic symptoms, benzodiazepines can be very helpful.

But fish oil doesn't seem to improve manic symptoms in people with bipolar disorder.

Severe manic and depressive symptoms are associated with early age of diagnosis, meaning children often display more acute symptoms than adults.