It is a chronic or episodic (which means occurring occasionally and at irregular intervals) mental disorder. Bipolar disorder can cause unusual, often extreme and fluctuating changes in mood, energy, activity, and concentration or focus.
In bipolar disorder the range of mood changes can be extreme. In manic episodes (distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated), someone might feel very happy, irritable, or “up,” and there is a marked increase in activity level. While in depressive episodes, someone might feel sad or empty, irritable mood, indifferent, or hopeless, in combination with a very low activity level.
The illnesses frequently are first diagnosed in adolescence or early adulthood after several years of symptoms. Among the symptoms of bipolar disorder include periods of mania, hypomania, psychosis, or depression interspersed with periods of relative wellness.
Bipolar disorders include four subtypes: Bipolar I Disorder, Bipolar II Disorder, Cyclothymic Disorder, Other Specified and Unspecified Bipolar and Related Disorders
Bipolar Disorder: Description And Symptoms
