Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, sometimes called manic depression, is a mental health disorder that is distinguished by dramatic swings in a person's mood, from the elated highs of mania to the lows of depression. Bipolar disorder affects all ages, genders, and et...

Bipolar Disorder: Who’s at Risk?

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is an illness in which the person's mood alternates between the high of mania and the low of depression. People diagnosed with bipolar disorder usually have one or more major depressive episodes along...

Causes of Bipolar Disorder

What Causes Bipolar Disorder? Doctors don't completely understand the causes of bipolar disorder. But they've gained a greater understanding in the past 10 years of the bipolar spectrum, which includes the elated highs of mania to the lows of ma...

Bipolar Children and Teens

Although bipolar disorder more commonly develops in older teenagers and young adults, it can appear in children as young as 6. In recent years, it's become a controversial diagnosis. Some experts believe it is rare and becoming overdiagnosed; othe...

Emergencies & Suicide Prevention

Bipolar disorder may raise the risk of suicide. Mania and depression, the hallmarks of bipolar disorder, can be dangerous. During a manic phase, a person with bipolar disorder may be reckless. In rare cases, people with mania can become psychotic ...

Bipolar Disorder in Pregnancy

Do you have bipolar disorder and want to become pregnant? Or are you bipolar and pregnant already? If so, be sure to talk with your obstetrician and psychiatrist. With your doctors' help, you can carefully weigh the risks and benefits of bipolar medi...

Bipolar Warning Signs

People with bipolar disorder often have cycles of elevated and depressed mood that fit the description of "manic depression." When a person's illness follows this classic pattern, diagnosing bipolar disorder is relatively easy. But bipolar disor...

Bipolar Disorder Complications

Sometimes people with bipolar disorder, depression, and other mood disorders have episodes when they feel extremely sad, hopeless, anxious, or confused. When these emotions get too intense, the person may harm themselves with acts of self-injury. ...

Bipolar Spectrum

The bipolar spectrum is a concept which observes that many people with depression, substance abuse, and other conditions share many of bipolar disorder's symptoms. Under this concept, such people's conditions are in the "bipolar spectrum," witho...

Cyclothymia

What Is Cyclothymia? Cyclothymia -- or cyclothymic disorder -- is a relatively mild mood disorder. In cyclothymic disorder, moods swing between short periods of mild depression and hypomania, an elevated mood. The low and high mood swings never ...

Rapid Cycling

What Is Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder? Rapid cycling is a pattern of symptoms in bipolar disorder. In rapid cycling, a person with bipolar disorder experiences four or more episodes of mania or depression in one year. ...

Bipolar Types

There are several types of bipolar disorder; all involve episodes of depression and mania to a degree. Bipolar disorder is a lifelong illness. Episodes of mania and depression eventually can occur again, if you don't get treatment. A sm...

Depression Symptoms

The dramatic mood swings of bipolar disorder do not follow a set pattern. Depression does not always follow mania. A person may experience the same mood state several times -- for weeks, months, even years at a time before experiencing a change in...

Mania Symptoms

Bipolar mania, hypomania, and depression are symptoms of bipolar disorder. The dramatic mood swings of bipolar disorder do not follow a set pattern. Depression does not always follow mania. A person may experience the same mood state several times...

Treating Bipolar Depression

Depression with bipolar disorder has a negative impact on the lives of millions. Yet treatment for bipolar depression has come a long way from when patients were drugged with heavy, sedating tranquilizers just a few decades ago. Today, the mainstay...

Treating Bipolar Mania

Bipolar disorder is a serious diagnosis. But it's important to know that you're not alone. More than 10 million people in America have bipolar disorder. Unlike depression, bipolar disorder is equally common in men and women. And although the onset of...

Therapy

Along with medication, ongoing psychotherapy, or "talk" therapy, is an important part of treatment for bipolar disorder. During therapy, you can discuss feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that cause you problems. Talk therapy can help you understand a...

Bipolar Treatments

At present, bipolar disorder is treated with three classes of medication, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants. Most often treatment employs a combination of at least one mood-stabilizing drug and psychotherapy. The most widely used ...

Bipolar Disorder at Work: Job Performance Tips

If you have bipolar disorder, no one needs to tell you how challenging this mental illness can be. You are among millions of American adults who may also find that the extreme mood swings of bipolar disorder can be very disruptive at work. Take heart...

Talking to Family and Friends

Bipolar disorder can put an enormous strain on relationships with your family and friends. When you're depressed, you may isolate yourself from the people who care about you. When you're manic or hypomanic, you might frighten or alienate them. ...

Bipolar, Dating, and Marriage

Whether you or your loved one has bipolar disorder, you can learn to make the relationship work. By Stephanie Watson Feature Reviewed by Matthew Hoffman, MD Navigating any romantic relationshi...

Bipolar and Sleep Problems

Changes in sleep that last for more than two weeks or interfere with your life can point to an underlying condition. Of course, many things may contribute to sleep problems. Here's what you need to know about the many connections between bipolar diso...

Exercise & Lifestyle

Living with bipolar disorder involves seeing your doctor and therapist and taking your bipolar medication. There’s also a lot you can do to take charge of your health. Here are some suggestions: Exercise. Studies show that re...

Bipolar Mood Swings

The mood swings of bipolar disorder can be profoundly destructive. Depression can make you isolate yourself from your friends and loved ones. You may find it impossible to get out of bed, let alone keep your job. During manic periods, you be may be r...

Bipolar Diet: Foods to Avoid

If you or a loved has bipolar disorder, you know how important it is to self-manage mood swings with bipolar medications and healthy lifestyle habits. But did you also know that certain foods and dietary supplements might play a role in helping --...

Bipolar Disorder Supplements

With the rise in healthcare costs, you may wonder about using alternative medicine and dietary supplements for the treatment of bipolar disorder and other mood disorders. Alternative medicine views the body and mind as an integrated system, which mea...

Bipolar Disorder Organizations

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance web site provides timely information on depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, and explains how doctors screen for these conditions. This web s...

Bipolar Disorder Online Community

’s Bipolar Support Group Living with bipolar disorder? Share your tips on coping with heightened feelings of well-being and depression, as well as common medication and treatment options. ...

Bipolar Support

Bipolar disorder is not a condition that you can tackle on your own. You need the help and support of a lot of people -- your family, your friends, and especially your health care providers. Medical Care for Bipolar Disorder Medicat...

Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis

Diagnosing Bipolar Disorder Doctors have come a long way in fully understanding different moods in bipolar disorder and in making an accurate diagnosis. It wasn’t that long ago when bipolar disorder was lumped together with other disorders ...