bipolar disorder is a form of mood disorder characterised by a variation of mood between a phase of manic or hypomanic elation, hyperactivity and hyper imagination, and a depressive phase of inhibition, slowness to conceive ideas and move, and anxiety or sadness. As described below, there are several forms of bipolar disorder. It should be noted that this disorder does not consist of mere "ups and downs". Ups and downs are experienced by virtually everyone and do not constitute a disorder. The mood swings of bipolar disorder are far more extreme than those experienced by most people. See cyclothymia for a milder version of this disorder.

GoldBamboo

... Bipolar disorder involves periods of excitability (mania) alternating with periods of depression. The "mood swings" between mania and depression can be very abrupt. ...
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For other uses of the term, see: Bipolar Bipolar disorder (previously kno ...
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Bipolar Disorder Symptoms

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Signs and symptoms
... Bipolar disorder is characterized by an alternating pattern of emotional highs (mania) and lows (depression). The intensity of the signs and symptoms varies. Bipolar disorder can range from a mild con...
Source: MayoClinic

Causes
... Doctors and researchers don''t know exactly what causes bipolar disorder. But a variety of biologic, genetic and environmental factors seem to be involved in causing and triggering episodes of this il...
Source: MayoClinic

Bipolar Disorder Treatment

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Complications
... Bipolar disorder isn''t as clear-cut as it may sound. Other problems, such as anxiety disorder or alcoholism, may affect people with bipolar disorder. The length, severity and frequency of mood swings...
Source: MayoClinic

Treatment
... Medication and psychotherapy are the main treatments for bipolar disorder. Occasionally, doctors use electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Medication Most people with bipolar disorder take medication to re...
Source: MayoClinic

Bipolar Disorder Support

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Coping skills
... Coping with bipolar disorder can be difficult. Support groups can be a valuable part of a wider network of social support that includes health care professionals, family, friends and a place of religi...
Source: MayoClinic

Bipolar Disorder Other

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Bipolar Disorder
... What is bipolar disorder? Bipolar disorder (also called manic-depressive disorder) is a mental illness that causes people to have severe high and low moods. People with this illness swing from feeling...
Source: Cleveland Clinic

Bipolar Depression
... What is bipolar depression? Bipolar depression is the depressed phase of disorder or "manic-depressive" disease is a mental illness that causes people to have severe high and low moods. Peop...
Source: Cleveland Clinic

   

Bipolar Disorder Articles

  • Gene Hunting
    ... Many years of research have demonstrated that vulnerability to mental illnesses—such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, early-onset depression, anxiety disorders, autism, and attention deficit hype...
  • Going to Extremes
    ... Bipolar Disorder There is a tendency to romanticize bipolar disorder. Many artists, musicians, and writers have suffered from its mood swings. But in truth, many lives are ruined by this disease; and ...
  • How Biological Clocks Work
    ... Anyone who has traveled has experienced jet lag—that groggy realization that while your day is beginning in Washington, DC, the night you just left in San Francisco is hardly over. Jet lag is an inc...
  • Medications
    ... This booklet is designed to help mental health patients and their families understand how and why medications can be used as part of the treatment of mental health problems. It is important for you to...
  • The Numbers Count
    ... Mental Disorders in America Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 22.1 percent of Americans ages 18 and older—about 1 in 5 adults—suffer from a diagnos...

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