What is Bipolar disorder?

Question

I have heard about on tv and I want to know what it is.
What cuases it and what it does .

Answer 1

Bipolar disorder, sometimes called bipolar depression, is a serious illness. It can make a person’s normal moods seem extreme. It used to be called manic depression.

People with bipolar disorder have mood swings. Their moods can swing from very low (depression) to very high (mania). Bipolar disorder sometimes is confused with other types of depression.

Bipolar disorder is a lifelong illness. But today there are many treatments. People with bipolar disorder should ask their healthcare provider about the best way to keep their moods from swinging too far one way or the other.

Types of mood episodes

In bipolar disorder, or bipolar depression, each mood swing is called an “episode.” There are 4 main types of mood episodes that people with bipolar disorder can have:

Depression — Depression is when people with bipolar disorder feel very sad. Sometimes this can go on for a long period of time. They may not even want to get out of bed or eat. They don’t enjoy doing things they used to do.
Mania — Mania is the other side of bipolar disorder. Mania may start with a good feeling, almost like a “high.” Or it may make a person feel very irritable and angry. People with mania may do very risky things.
Hypomania — Hypomania is a milder form of mania. It can make people feel good. They may think they are getting more things done. But the “feel good” stage can change into mania or depression. Hypomania is different from mania because it doesn’t get in the way of things like work or family. It sometimes is not even noticed as a problem.
Mixed mood — This is when feelings of mania and depression go back and forth quickly, sometimes even in the same day. Bipolar disorder, sometimes called bipolar depression, can be hard to detect because the symptoms can be similar to other mood disorders. Some people have the condition for 10 years or more before a healthcare provider diagnoses it.

The reason for this might have to do with the symptoms. When people are feeling manic or hypomanic, they are full of energy. They usually feel good. They feel "high on life" and don’t always seek help.

On the other hand, people are more likely to seek help when they fall into depression. When people feel depressed, they are likely to describe only depression symptoms to their healthcare provider. They may not mention the times when they are feeling “high on life,” since depression is what they are feeling at the time. Therefore, it’s common for a person to be incorrectly diagnosed with major depression instead of bipolar disorder.

In fact, nearly half of all patients who have bipolar disorder, sometimes called bipolar depression, will first be diagnosed with major depression. That’s why it’s important for people to say how they’ve been feeling weeks and even months before today to their healthcare provider in order to make it easier for the right diagnosis.

Many of the signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder can also be associated with other illnesses, such as anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. This can make it even harder for a healthcare provider to make a correct diagnosis.

Symptoms of depression include:

Feeling sad or blue, or “down in the dumps”
Loss of interest in things the person used to enjoy, including sex
Feeling worthless, hopeless, or guilty
Sleeping too little or too much
Changes in weight or appetite
Feeling tired or having little or no energy
Feeling restless
Problems concentrating or making decisions
Thoughts of death or suicide

Answer 2

Causes range from hereditary to stress. There are many different examples of what makes a bipolar. The word itself suggests two poles. In other words, one extreme to another. Mood swings, irresponsible behavior (anyone think of any actresses that might fit.) There are also 2 types, the less serious type is hard to diagnose and the second is also hard because most bipolars only seek treatment when seriously depressed and enjoy the manic side. You can look this up on the net, but again, everyone is different. Mr. Taco should stick to cooking, bipolars who have switches like he describes are called rapid cycling, this is not the common bipolar, it generally takes weeks, months for the two to rear their ugly head, so it goes between mania and depression.

Answer 3

Bipolar is a new name for manic depression.
There are episodes of a person out of control ie. shopping spending all kinds of money to be followed by depression and nothing makes them happy. These people are also energy vampires they can take a room of happy people down just by there presence.

This is an over simplified example follow the link provided and you will learn more.
Be careful not to place a label on yourself or others as bipolar many people have times of extreme behaviors but does it happen regularly, routinely?

Answer 4

Another term for it is manic-depression. It's a psychiatric condition defined by periods of extreme mood. These moods can occur on a spectrum ranging from debilitating depression to unbridled mania. Individuals suffering a bipolar disorder generally experience fluid states of mania, hypomania or what is referred to as a mixed states in concert with clinical depression. These clinical states typically alternate with a normal range of mood, which is termed euthymia. Bipolar disorder can range in severity from a mild annoyance to a serious lifelong disability, and is often difficult to diagnose due to the complex nature of the disorder. It has been suggested that many individuals may go undiagnosed their entire lives.

Answer 5

I grew up with a bipolar mother and now my brother has been diagnosed as bipolar. It really is what is says....they have severe mood swings from way up to way down. One day, ( even change from hour to hour) they will be happy and up and evreything is beautiful and then they will be so low and depressed that they are almost suicidal. Therapy and medications are how it is treated. It is a mental disorder and can be inherited.

Answer 6

In a nutshell, bi-polar is a mental illness caused by chemical imbalances that is characterized by severe mood swings. One minute a bi-polar person is high on life, motivated, and energetic. The next minute they are the lowest of lows, steeped in depression and misery. There is no known cure, but the symptoms are treatable through therapy and medication, and many bi-polar victims live quite ordinary and normal lives. Many go without treatment, though, and live a life of misery. So if you know anyone like this, please encourage them to get some help!

Answer 7

It means that you have a mood disorder, that you experience mania, which is extremely high moods, and the opposite, like depression at constant rates, it is like mood swings constantly. Hope this helps.

Answer 8

SHUT THE F*CK UP!! Oh..I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. DID YOU HEAR ME, B*TCH?!! I SAID, I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. I really love you. I SAID I LOVE YOU DAMMIT!!! Sorry, did I yell again? You're so sweet and understanding...

Answer 9

go from happy to sad to happy to sad etc.

Answer 10

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_disorder