Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is characterized by highs and lows. The highs are referred to as mania and lows are referred to as depression. According to Young Adult Health, three percent of the population suffers from bipolar disorder and it usually appears in adolescence. However, it can occur in childhood and adulthood as well. This disorder can wreak havoc on someone's life causing them problems at work or school and with family and friends.
Mania
There are two types of bipolar disorder listed in the DSM-IV-TR: bipolar I disorder and bipolar II disorder. Someone who has episodes of mania would be classified as having bipolar I disorder. Symptoms of mania include an elevated or irritable mood, high self-esteem, increase in goal-directed activity and having a flight of ideas. People experiencing a manic episode usually sleep very little but continue to have high energy and talk rapidly. They also tend to be impulsive and reckless. The symptoms must last for at least one week.
Someone in his late twenties experiencing a manic episode may get arrested for drinking and driving, use high quantities of drugs, have unprotected sex with multiple partners or gamble away his life savings. If a friend or family member is having a manic episode, she might talk extremely fast about multiple topics and switch her train of thought mid-sentence. She also may talk about doing grandiose things such as writing a best seller or finding a cure to breast cancer.
Hypomania
If someone experiences hypomanic episodes, he'll be diagnosed with bipolar II disorder. Hypomania is a less severe version of mania that lasts at least four days. Someone having a hypomanic episode may seem irritable or unusually happy, have a decreased need for sleep, seem abnormally confident, appear overly talkative, seem easily distracted and engage in high risk activities such as having unprotected sex. The main difference between a manic episode and hypomanic episode is a manic episode can easily result in problems with the law and psychiatric hospitalizations. Manic episodes cause severe impairment to one's social and occupational functioning.
Depression
To receive a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder, a person does not have to had a depressive episode. However, to receive a diagnosis of bipolar II disorder, a person has to have experienced at least one depressive episode. A depressive episode is characterized by a two week period of experiencing symptoms such as a sad mood, hopelessness and worthlessness, suicidal thoughts, sleep issues, weight gain or loss and fatigue. Someone in her late twenties experiencing a depressive episode would have severe impairment in her social and occupational functioning. For example, she may lose her job due to days and days of missed work, she might stay in bed most of the day and not enjoy activities that used to bring her pleasure.
