What+is+Bipolar+Disorder?

Bipolar Disorder, or sometimes referred to as manic-depressive disorder, is a mood disorder that causes individuals to experience extreme changes in mood. These mood swings can range from very depressive states to elevated manic states and can take place a number of times a year, or as frequent as several times a day. The cycle between mania and depression are unpredictable and vary between individuals. For some people episodes may be years apart and for others it is much more frequent. The average amount of episodes of depression and mania/hypomania for people living with bipolar disorder is around ten times within a lifetime (Trull, 2005). Often the symptoms of bipolar disorder will last for more than a week, but episodes can last for several months if left untreated. One to two percent of adults have diagnosed bipolar disorder worldwide with both men and w omen being equally affected (Davison, Blankstein, Flett, Neale, 2008). The onset of bipolar disorder on average starts in peoples twenties. However, the symptoms of bipolar disorder can occur during adolescence but may go undiagnosed, or misdiagnosed until adulthood (CAMH, 2000). Bipolar disorder is divided into several subtypes:

**Bipolar I disorder**: Involves episodes of mania or mixed episodes of both depression and mania. **Bipolar II disorder**: An individual has episodes of major depression accompanied by hypomania. Hypomania is a milder form of mania where change in behaviour and mood is less extreme than full-blown mania. This subtype is typically less severe than bipolar I disorder. **Cyclothymic disorde**r: Cyclothymic disorder, or cyclothymia, is a milder form of bipolar disorder. There still are disruptive episodes of hypomania and depression. However, the symptoms are less severe than other types of bipolar disorders.

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