what is bi-polar? is adult add like hyperactivity?

Answer 1

Bipolar depression
The vast majority of people diagnosed with, or who may be diagnosed with bipolar disorder suffer from depression. In fact, there is at least a 3 to 1 ratio of time spent depressed versus time spent euthymic (normal mood) or hypomanic or manic during the course of the bipolar I subtype of the illness. People with the bipolar II subtype remain depressed for substantially longer (37 times longer) according to the study findings discussed in the epidemiology section above.

A 2003 study by Robert Hirschfeld, M.D., of the University of Texas, Galveston found bipolar patients fared worse in their depressions than unipolar patients. (See Bipolar Depression.) In terms of disability, lost years of productivity and potential for suicide, bipolar depression, which is different (in terms of treatment), from unipolar depression, is now recognized as the most insidious aspect of the illness.

Severe depression may be accompanied by symptoms of psychosis. These symptoms include hallucinations (hearing, seeing, or otherwise sensing the presence of stimuli that are not there) and delusions (false personal beliefs that are not subject to reason or contradictory evidence and are not explained by a person's cultural concepts). They may also suffer from paranoid thoughts of being persecuted or monitored by some powerful entity such as the government or a hostile force. Intense and unusual religious beliefs may also be present, such as patients' strong insistence that they have a God-given role to play in the world, a great and historic mission to accomplish, or even that they possess supernatural powers. Delusions in a depression may be far more distressing, sometimes taking the form of intense guilt for supposed wrongs that the patient believes he or she has inflicted on others.

Answer 2

The answers which describe bipolar disorder are correct. However, let me address your question in a more conversational way. When a person is in the manic phase, they will typically show lots of energy, be fixated on doing activities or working constantly, want to talk a lot, and have a hard time settling down or sleeping. Some of these behaviors are also common in people who have ADD, and that is maybe where the confusion is. These conditions are medical and treatable, but very different, and proper diagnosis is key. This can be a problem sometimes, because an adult who is bi-polar often thinks there is nothing wrong with him/her. The mood swings vary in length for each individual, but often the extreme of the "happy" stage can drown out the memory of the depressive stage. This is why bipolar disorder, like any major illness, affects the entire family. If someone you care about suffers from these symptoms, do everything you can to encourage them to see a doctor. We understand much more about brain chemistry these days, and there is no need for a person to suffer if there is help available. I wish you the best.

Answer 3

Well-described Bi-Polar. As to adult ADD, it is not necessarily hyperactivity. Hyperactivity is one of its symptoms (fidgeting, moving around) and may or may not occur. Other symptoms are difficulty concentrating for even 10 minutes at a time, and impulsivity, like inability to wait your turn to speak or for anything.

Answer 4

Adult ADD can reflect hyperactivity, but more often its an inability to focus and concentrate. Bipolar disorder, or manic depression, is when a person goes from really low depressed state, to an elevated manic state where they are "on 10".

Answer 5

Bipolar disorder (previously 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 unipolar disorder (also called major depression) - for the purpose of this introduction - 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 significant periods of time - and during this time have great difficulty functioning.

Answer 6

bipolar is where you have extreme emotions, your either really happy or really depressed, these moods change very quickly due to chemical balances in the body. medication helps control but not all the time.