Symptoms of bipolar disorder can vary widely from person to person, but are mainly characterized by alternating patterns of emotional highs and lows.
The highs are known as mania and the lows are known as depression.
The disease can range from mild to severe, depending on the individual person.
There can also be periods of remission where everything is normal and there are no symptoms at all.
When looking at the symptoms of bipolar disorder, remember there are two main types of this condition: 1.
Bipolar I disorder.
In this version, you have manic episodes at least once in a while, but may not have depression.
2.
Bipolar II disorder.
With this version, you get depression from time to time, with very little mania.
If you do have mania, it tends to be short in duration, which is also referred to as hypomania.
Hypomania causes a happy mood, but can also bring irritation and difficulty in carrying on with daily tasks.
It's generally mild, though, so doesn't require hospitalization, while the depressive episodes might, as they are more severe.
A much rarer form of bipolar disorder is the rapid cycling kind.
This type of disorder involves rapidly swinging mood cycles, and a person can often experience as many as a dozen mood swings in a day.
This can be particularly difficult to deal with for both the patient as well as the family members, as it is hard to make plans with a person when you don't know when their mood will suddenly and drastically change, or how many times it may change during an outing.
Whatever symptoms of bipolar disorder you or a loved one are suffering from, the important thing is to get treatment right away.
The longer you go without treatment, the more needless suffering you will experience.
There are many excellent treatments available that will help you to feel better and lead a more normal life, so see a doctor or psychiatrist to begin treatment as soon as you suspect you may have this condition.