Bipolar Disorder - An Overview

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. There are four basic types of bipolar disorder; all of them involve clear changes in mood, energy, and activity levels. These moods range from periods of extremely up, elated, and energized behaviour (known as manic episodes) to very sad, down, or hopeless periods (known as depressive episodes). Less severe manic periods are known as hypomanic episodes. People with bipolar disorder experience periods of unusually intense emotion, changes in sleep patterns and activity levels, and unusual behaviours. These distinct periods are called mood episodes. Mood episodes are drastically different from the moods and behaviours that are typical for the person. Extreme changes in energy, activity, and sleep go along with mood episodes. Proper diagnosis and treatment help people with bipolar disorder lead healthy and productive lives. Medications generally used to treat bipolar disorder include mood stabilizers, atypical antipsychotics and antidepressants.