Does Bipolar Cause a Change in Body Odor?
While it isn’t listed as a formal symptom of bipolar, a growing number of people are noticing something is afoul – individuals with bipolar began to smell really bad ahead of an episode. It’s hasn’t been talked about a lot, but more and more people are beginning to report someone diagnosed with bipolar disorder went from smelling good to smelling just plain terrible. And, not long after they noticed the stink in the air, their loving spouse went into a manic episode.
It’s a fascinating new element of bipolar research. Work has already been done demonstrating physical changes are often observed when a person is in a manic or hypomanic episode. In particular, there can exist noticeable changes in the person’s eyes. For example, if the person is experiencing dysphoric mania, and they are in a fit of rage, the eyes might go all black. Many have termed it “shark eyes.” What’s happening in this case is the hormone noradrenaline, which is connected to manic episodes, increases and its presence can result in extreme pupil dilation.
Bipolar doesn’t look the same in everyone, and so changes in someone’s eyes does not necessarily indicate a diagnosis. Yet, changes in the eyes can manifest before other symptoms become apparent and before things get out of control. This means that you might notice things in the eyes before harmful, and potentially dangerously impulsive behavioral symptoms show up. Changes in the eyes can include dilated pupils, an either widened (euphoric mania) or narrowed/squinting gaze (dysphoric mania), changes in eye color, or “sparkling” eyes.
But what about changes in body odor?
One woman, whose husband has a formal diagnosis of bipolar, states the shift in his scent is incredibly noticeable to her. “I think he smells like a completely different person when he is manic,” she shared. Another wife claims “the month his mania started he suddenly smelled off, sort of like the smell of a musty house or something old. I couldn’t tell why at the time, I just noticed it and that it was really off putting.”
During a euphoric manic or hypomanic episode, the person might smell pleasant. The disagreeable, bad body odor is correlated to dysphoric episodes (or mixed episode), periods when the person becomes uncharacteristically angry, hateful, rageful, irritable and aggressive. They can cause tremendous harm to themselves and others. They might make bad choices that ruin their own and/or the lives of others. It is not unheard of for someone in a dysphoric episode to leave their happy marriage and great job out of the blue for no apparent reason.
This information, knowing that a drastic change in odor is correlated with mania, can be invaluable since it could be an indicator that an episode of mania is about to begin. And preventing an episode is the ideal. Noticing triggers matter. Noticing the changes preceding the episode means get early treatment and avoiding the unpleasant and even life altering symptoms. Too many lives are being ruined because of unchecked mania and so prevention is critical.
What could be playing a role in the foul smelling body odor that has suddenly appeared?
Normally, a person will sweat more when they are stressed and experiencing emotional arousal. The sweat which is produced during mania, however, will differ. There is a distinctly different aroma. A person might not smell that good after a hard workout, but when it comes to mania, the smell becomes far more noxious. The odor will be much worse than the person’s typical sweat from exercise and day-to-day activities. It will tend to be stronger. It will potentially be putrid and foul. It is not your fresh from the gym odor.
During a dysphoric episode, certain hormones in the body will become elevated. There will be higher cortisol levels in the body. This hormone can begin to be elevated for many months leading up to the actual episode. In other words, the person might still appear to be stable, but things are starting to shift and odor is one of the first changes. Notably, the actual manic episode might be months and months ahead.
It could, then, be an early warning sign that a person is going to experience an episode. It can be especially critical if the individual is prone to delusions or paranoia as the person might become even more challenging to interact with once mania has set in. Persuading them to seek care in such circumstances can be impossible. A bipolar spouse who is in a dysphoric episode with psychosis could become suspicious and might believe people are conspiring against them. There will likely be no way to persuade them to seek care and they will, more likely, become more hateful toward you for suggesting something might be wrong with them. If one symptom is delusion, or paranoia, the person will simply double down on the belief that you are out to get them. You will be very hard-pressed to convince your loved one to get treatment at that point.
It becomes a chaotic and confusing situation. So prevention is really important. Further, bipolar, if left untreated, can result in damage to the person’s brain.
If you notice your loved one suddenly smells differently, and the odor is quite unpleasant, this could be an indication there could be a problem. Or, if you notice that you yourself are suddenly noticing your own body scent has taken a turn for the worse, it could be one clue that you are either about to have or are in the midst of a bipolar manic episode. You might notice the unpleasant scent as you are sitting at work or going about your day. You might also find that your clothes are beginning to smell bad and require additional effort in the laundry room to rid them of the foul smell.
Our bodies are constantly sending us signals. This is an important one and should not be ignored.