Bipolar Disorder
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Commonly known as manic-depressive illness, bipolar disorder is a serious mental condition characterized by extreme changes in mood. Individuals with this disorder experience emotional highs, or manic episodes, and lows, or depressive episodes. These episodes are distinct periods that are separate from the moods they may usually feel.
During manic episodes, individuals may:
In contrast, depressive episodes may bring about:
Episodes may be a mixture of both manic and depressive symptoms. In such an episode, individuals with bipolar disorder may feel sad, empty, and hopeless but have a high level of energy at the same time. Sometimes, changes in mood are less dramatic. For example, individuals may feel happy and think everything is fine, but people around them may notice their mood changes. Episodes like this are called hypomania. If an individual is hypomanic and does not receive proper treatment, their condition will likely worsen.
Generally considered a lifetime illness, the disorder begins in the late teen or early adult years. Bipolar disorder has no known cause, but research has shown that it tends to run in families. To diagnose it, a psychiatrist carefully assesses an individual's moods and behavior patterns. They may also be asked to keep a daily record of their moods and other factors that can help with diagnosis and determining the right course of therapy. Counseling is a typical form of treatment, as is a group of medications that can control symptoms, called antipsychotics.
