Bipolar II disorder involves periods of depression and periods of high mood, called hypomania. This is like a hobby, but less extreme.
bipolar disorder
is a chronic or episodic mental disorder (meaning that it occurs occasionally and at irregular intervals). It can cause unusual, often extreme and fluctuating, changes in mood, energy, activity, and concentration or focus.Bipolar disorder is sometimes referred to as manic-depressive disorder or manic depression, which are older terms. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes dramatic changes in a person's mood, energy, and ability to think clearly. People with bipolar disorder experience high and low moods known as mania and depression, which differ from the typical ups and downs experienced by most people. Severe bipolar episodes of mania or depression can include psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations or delusions.
Usually, these psychotic symptoms reflect a person's extreme mood. People with bipolar disorder who have psychotic symptoms may be misdiagnosed as having schizophrenia. To be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a person must have experienced at least one episode of mania or hypomania. Hypomania is a milder form of mania that does not include psychotic episodes.
People with hypomania can often function well in social situations or at work. Some people with bipolar disorder will have episodes of mania or hypomania many times throughout their lives; others may experience them only rarely. While a person with bipolar disorder may find a high mood of mania attractive, especially if it occurs after a depression, the “high” doesn't stop at a comfortable or controllable level. Moods can quickly become more irritable, behavior more unpredictable, and judgment more impaired.
During periods of mania, people often behave impulsively, make reckless decisions, and take unusual risks. Mental health professionals use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) to diagnose the “type of bipolar disorder” a person may be experiencing. To determine what type of bipolar disorder a person has, mental health professionals evaluate the pattern of symptoms and the person's degree of disability during the most serious episodes. For example, antidepressants used to treat OCD and stimulants used to treat ADHD can worsen symptoms of bipolar disorder and even trigger a manic episode.
In most cases, bipolar disorder is treated with medication and psychological counseling (psychotherapy). While people with a parent or sibling with bipolar disorder are more likely to develop the disorder on their own, most people with a family history of bipolar disorder won't develop the condition. Learning more about the role of genes in bipolar disorder may help researchers develop new treatments. People with certain types of bipolar disorder, such as bipolar II disorder, experience hypomania, which is a less severe form of mania.
However, receiving treatment at the first sign of a mental health disorder can help prevent the worsening of bipolar disorder or other mental health conditions. Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that causes changes in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. Although borderline personality disorder (BPD) and bipolar disorder have similar symptoms and are often confused with each other, they are different conditions. Sometimes, a person may experience symptoms of bipolar disorder that don't match the three categories listed above, which are known as “other specific and unspecified bipolar and related disorders.”.
Bipolar disorder (formerly called manic-depressive illness or manic depression) is a mental disorder that causes unusual changes in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, and ability to perform daily tasks. For example, some people with bipolar disorder (bipolar II) experience hypomania, a less severe form of mania. The risk of suicide is significantly higher among people with bipolar I disorder than among the general population. Bipolar disorder can disrupt a person's relationships with loved ones and cause difficulty working or going to school.
Between episodes, many people with bipolar disorder have no mood changes, but some people may have persistent symptoms. People with bipolar disorder often need mood-stabilizing medications to control manic or hypomanic episodes. . .
