What do you know about bi-polar II disorder?

Answer 1

People with bipolar II suffer primarily from episodes of severe depression with occasional episode of "mild" mania, called hypomania. Hypomania differs from mania in that no delusions are experienced.
Like mania, hypomania can cause severely impaired functioning. The hypomanic episode often feels so good that bipolar patients often discontinue their medication in quest of a hypomanic episode. This is especially problematic because symptoms that come back after stopping drug treatment are often much harder to get back under control a second time.
While Bipolar II has sometimes been described as a "milder" form of bipolar disorder than Bipolar I, the suicide rate among people suffering form Bipolar II is actually higher than that for those suffering from Bipolar I.

Answer 2

I am bipolar, and I'm not sure if I'm 1 or 2, but none the less, it is sometimes difficult to deal with. Medications does help, but we also have to help ourselves, and work with the medication. The bipolar is hereditary, and if there is any depression in your family line, you are prone to have bipolar, whether it is 1 or 2.
I am a rapid cycler, and can be depressed in the AM, and hyper at night. Or visa versa. Or within hours I can go between moods. I am also a recovering alcoholic. I drank to shut my brain off, so I could sleep at night; and I drank so I could feel good! After I was diagnosed with bipolar, and got on medication, the craving for alcohol wasn't as bad.
I have a problem as most bipolars do, taking my medication. Most of us like the mania, even if it scares us. Sometimes we will go off them just so we can be manic. However, the manias is what causes the downs. When the doctors are able to control the mania, they can control the lows!

Answer 3

My brother has it and I cant deal with him. He did drugs alot though and that might have been what caused it.. I know it derives from some type of head trauma . Im younger than him so he might have had something happen when I was too young to know. And that could have been why he did drugs in the first place. Hard to say but, Its strange but can be controlled with meds I guess.

Answer 4

My grandmother was bipolar and took lithium for years. I only saw her manic/depressive episodes twice. Once was well over 2 years ago, and the last time was in the last 4 months before she died. The two sides affect everyone differently, but with proper medication and therapy can help keep it in control.

Answer 5

I know many people with bi-polar......its a depression that's very hard to deal with....allot of people drink and do drugs to cope with it....they are depressed....suisidle....and feel very alone...they also can be very paranoid ...bi -polar can also cause allot of people to be very sexually active......I think if you want to know more look it up in yahoo...or google it...I did and found out some interesting facts