Female: Bipolar disorder, once known as manic-depressive psychosis affects nearly six million American adults. But what exactly is bipolar disorder? Male: Bipolar disorder is a sever mood disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person’s mood, energy, and ability to function. The dramatic mood swings of bipolar disorder are different from normal ups and downs. These mood swings shift from periods of phonetic activity or manic moods which may include excessive spending, promiscuity and little sleep to hopeless depressive moods characterized by excessive sleep, lack of interest in life and lasting sadness. Fortunately, bipolar disorder is treatable. Many groundbreaking creative thinkers are thought to have suffered from bipolar disorder including Beethoven, Virginia Wolf and Sylvia Plath. In more recent years, Ben Stiller, Sting and Larry Flint have all spoken openly about living with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder typically develops in late adolescence or early adulthood. The precise mechanism that closes bipolar disorder is not entirely understood, but likely involves both genetics and the person’s environment. The disease does tend to run in families, but even when one identical twin has bipolar disorder, the other twin has adjust 50% of the time, which demonstrates conclusively that genetics are not the soul cause of bipolar. The most .common form of bipolar disorder which involves recurring episodes of mania and depression is called bipolar I disorder. Some people never develop sever mania,, but instead experience milder episodes known as hypomania that alternate with depression. This form of the illness is called the bipolar II disorder. There is also a chronic cyclical low-grade version of bipolar disorder called cyclothymia in which less severe periods of depression alternate with hypomania. People that experience sever mood shifts, from mania or hypomania to depression and back again, more than four times a year are said to have rapid cycling bipolar disorder. Because it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between normal mood swings and symptoms of bipolar disorder, many people suffer for years before the illness is properly diagnosed. Once diagnosed, it is a treatable illness, but bipolar disorder must be carefully managed throughout a person’s life. If you think might have bipolar disorder, please see a mental health professional.
