What is exactly is bi-polar?

Answer 1

One textbook definition describes bipolar disorder as: "a major affective disorder in which an individual alternates between states of deep depression and extreme elation." This is misleading in that bipolar disorder - also known as manic depression or manic-depressive illness - is much more complicated than just alternating between depression and elation.

The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (commonly known as DSM-IV because it is in its fourth major edition) says, "Bipolar Disorder is characterized by the occurrence of one or more Major Depressive Episodes accompanied by at least one Manic Episode." So even if you're depressed 99 percent of the time, going through just one manic episode qualifies you for a diagnosis of bipolar disorder according to this definition - but that still leaves out a lot of what manic depression really is.

So let's put it in terms everyone can understand. Bipolar disorder is an illness that affects thoughts, feelings, perceptions and behavior ... even how a person feels physically (known clinically as psychosomatic presentations). It's probably caused by electrical and chemical elements in the brain not functioning properly (see What Causes Bipolar Disorder? for more information), and is usually found in people whose families have a history of one or more mental illnesses. (While we're at it, let's be clear about something: a mental illness is one that affects the mind, not one that's all in the mind.)

Most often, a person with manic-depression experiences moods that shift from high to low and back again in varying degrees of severity. The two poles of bipolar disorder are mania and depression. This is the least complicated form of the illness.

Depression might be identified by:
Refusing to get out of bed for days on end
Sleeping much more than usual
Being tired all the time but unable to sleep
Having bouts of uncontrollable crying
Becoming entirely uninterested in things you once enjoyed
Paying no attention to daily responsibilities
Feeling hopeless, helpless or worthless for a sustained period of time
Becoming unable to make simple decisions
Wanting to die
Mania might include:
Feeling like you can do anything, even something unsafe or illegal
Needing very little sleep, yet never feeling tired
Dressing flamboyantly, spending money extravagantly, living recklessly
Having increased sexual desires, perhaps even indulging in risky sexual behaviors
Experiencing hallucinations or delusions
Feeling filled with energy
Some people think that they are just "over their depression" when they become manic, and don't realize this exaggerated state is part of the illness - part of bipolar disorder. A person who has depression and mania is said to have Bipolar I.

In addition to Bipolar Disorder I, the American system of diagnosing this disorder also includes Bipolar Disorder II, which involves symptoms of hypomania instead of full-blown mania.

Hypomania - a less extreme form of manic episode - could include:
Having utter confidence in yourself
Being able to focus well on projects
Feeling extra creative or innovative
Being able to brush off problems that would paralyze you during depression
Feeling "on top of the world" but without going over the top.
Hypomania does not include hallucinations or delusions, but a hypomanic person still might exhibit some reckless or inappropriate behavior. A person who has moods of depression and hypomania is said to have Bipolar II.

Answer 2

First, I would like to see a sort of disclaimer to the effect that one should go through 1 or 2 pages of resolved questions before posting one. There have literally dozens of questions on the same topic in the past week.

Bi Polar disorder is a case of a person having extremely high highs always by extremely low lows. The cycle never ends till the disease is treated. Generally when in the low part of the cycle, sufferers become suicidal over time. In the highs, they are extremely manic (like they are on speed) and they don't make sense most of the time There is very little "normal time between cycles. It needs to be treated as soon as possible after the symptoms are recognised.

The reason I said to check first is, 2 days ago the answers for this question were much more thoughtful than they are today. And that is probably because we want to help, yet we get kinda burnt out over answering the same questions day after day.

I hope the sufferer gets help soon and does well.

Answer 3

This website has some great information

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/Publicat/bipolar.cfm

It was formally called Manic Depressive. Their are 2 types of BiPolar. Type 1 includes more highs then lows and the type 2 has more depressive states and a little less highs. True BiPolar is a lifetime chemical imbalance in the brain. Medication can help, but totally cure BiPolar. My husband has Type 2 BiPolar so I know from experience what it entails. I hope that if you suspect that you or someone else has BiPolar that you will get the help you need. If it goes undiagnosed and not medicated it can get worse overtime.

Answer 4

Bi-polar is the modern name for Manic Depression. It refers to the two extremes of mood swings experienced by the sufferer, mania and depression.

Answer 5

Bi-polar is a form of depression with extreme highs and lows. It was formerly called manic depression.

Answer 6

Mood swings from HIGH to LOW. High is giddy, laughter for no reason, bouncing off the walls, almost like their high on drugs.
The lows are drepression, sad behavior, uncontrollable crying, cant reason, the world is ending over not much of anything.

Bi polars can destroy there lives and the lives of those around them. They need prescription drugs.

Answer 7

This is a mental illness that causes people to have mood swings that vary from mania (sort of happy/hyper) to depression. There are medications that are quite effective to stablilize folks with bipolar disorder, although there's always the risk of instability. Read more here: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bipolar.cfm

Answer 8

imagine opposite ends of a spectrum, hot and cold...day and night,, east/west..whatever. thats what bipolar is.
my sister is bipolar. she loves me, she hates me, she wants to kill me. all within the span of usually less than a day. some bipolars never find a balance thur medicine because some medications cause adverse effects that, to them , aren't worth going thru.
if you know a bipolar person, be supportive, if you turn and run, what kind of person are you? a bipolar will most likely give you their last dollar, the shirt off their back or try to kill you. by running, you are a coward. by running, you might miss your best friend in life.

Answer 9

bi-polar is a chemical imbalance in the brain

Answer 10

Melissa M deserves the 10 pts. WTG Way to go! Very thoughtful.