The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to bipolar disorder:

Bipolar disorder – mental disorder with cyclical periods of depression and periods of elevated mood.[1] The elevated mood is significant and is known as mania, a severe elevation that can be accompanied by psychosis in some cases, or hypomania, a milder form of mania. During mania, an individual behaves or feels abnormally energetic, elated, or irritable.[1] Individuals often make poorly thought out decisions with little regard to the consequences. The need for sleep is usually reduced during manic phases. During periods of depression, there may be crying, a negative outlook on life, and poor eye contact with others.[1] The risk of suicide among those with the illness is high at greater than 6 percent over 20 years, while self-harm occurs in 30–40 percent.[1] Other mental health issues such as anxiety disorders and substance use disorder are commonly associated. Also known as manic depression. People with bipolar disorder experience the whole spectrum of emotional feelings from unimaginable grief to full blown euphoria whereas normal people experience only a section of the spectrum of emotional feelings somewhere between extreme grief and extreme happiness.[2]

What categories does bipolar disorder fall under?

A graph showing mood lability. A neurotypical experiences a variety that never reaches hypomania or depression. Bipolar type 1 involves a manic episode. Bipolar type 2 involves depressive and hypomanic episodes. Cyclothymia involves hypomania and semi-depressive episodes. Unipolar depression involves periods of depression with some normal moods.
A graph showing variable moods in different bipolar disorder subtypes compared to neurotypicals and people with unipolar depression

Bipolar disorder can be described as all of the following:

  • Disorder –
    • Mental disorder – functional abnormality or disturbance characterized by a behavioral or mental pattern that may cause suffering or a poor ability to function in life. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitting, or occur as a single episode.

Bipolar spectrum

Bipolar spectrum –

  • Bipolar I – bipolar disorder with at least one manic episode (with or without psychotic features), possibly with hypomanic and/or depressive episodes as well
  • Psychotic features – psychosis experienced in some cases of Bipolar I disorder, typically during mania or a severe depressive episode
  • Bipolar II – bipolar disorder categorized by depressive episodes and at least one hypomanic episode, no manic episode experienced
  • Cyclothymia – a milder form of bipolar disorder with predominantly depressive symptoms and some symptoms of hypomania, does not meet diagnostic severity of bipolar I or II
  • Dysthymia – akin to depression, with chronic symptoms
  • Major depressive disorder – a mood disorder involving low mood, low energy, poor self-esteem, lack of interest in enjoyable activities, and/or aches and pains
  • Schizoaffective disorder – cyclical mood episodes combined with psychosis; has subtypes: bipolar type and depressive type
  • Mania – a state of hyperactivity, heightened mood (euphoric or irritable), low sleep, pressured speech, grandiosity, and/or racing thoughts; may include psychotic features like delusions or hallucinations
  • Mixed affective state – a state with traits of both mania and depression (e.g. irritability, low mood, suicidality, and racing thoughts at the same time)
  • Hypomania – an episode of elevated mood, similar to mania with milder symptomatic severity
  • Major depressive episode – a mood episode with major depressive symptoms

Symptoms of bipolar disorder

Signs typical of mania

  • Delusion – fixed belief that cannot be changed despite reason or evidence, not explained by common cultural beliefs
  • Hallucination – perceiving something that is not actually present
  • Insomnia – difficulty falling and/or staying asleep
  • Pressured speech – rapid, erratic, and/or frenzied speech that can be difficult for others to understand and interrupt
  • Psychosis – inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy
  • Racing thoughts – rapid thinking, sometimes experienced as distracting or distressing

Signs typical of depression

  • Anhedonia – reduced ability to experience pleasure
  • Dysphoria – a state of profound unhappiness or discomfort
  • Hypersomnia – excessive sleeping and/or sleepiness
  • Self harm – causing intentional pain or injury to the body, often as self-punishment or emotional release
  • Suicidal ideation – considering committing suicide

Treatment of bipolar disorder

An image showing areas of the brain affected by bipolar disorder.
Areas of the brain affected by bipolar disorder.

Non-pharmaceutical treatment of bipolar disorder

History of bipolar disorder

Organisations

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Anderson IM, Haddad PM, Scott J (Dec 27, 2012). "Bipolar disorder". BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.). 345: e8508. doi:10.1136/bmj.e8508. PMID 23271744. S2CID 22156246.
  2. ↑ "Bipolar Disorder". National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Retrieved 2023-07-28.
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