What is Bipolar Disorder and How do You Treat it?
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a diagnostic category describing a class of mood disorders where the person experiences states or episodes of depression and/or mania, hypomania, and/or mixed states. Left untreated, it is a severely disabling psychiatric condition.
The difference between bipolar disorder and major depression is that bipolar disorder involves “energized” or “activated” mood states in addition to depressed mood states. The duration and intensity of mood states varies widely among people with the illness.
Fluctuating from one mood state to another is called “cycling” or having mood swings. Mood swings cause impairment not only in one’s mood, but also in one’s energy level, sleep pattern, activity level, social rhythms and thinking abilities. Many people become fully disabled, for some period of time, after being diagnosed, and during this time may have great difficulty functioning.
The vast majority of people diagnosed with suffer from depression. In fact, there is at least a 3 to 1 ratio of time spent depressed versus...