Functioning with Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a condition that affects over two million Americans. In fact, the National Institute of Mental Health states that about 5.7 million American adults from the age of 18 have bipolar disorder. Some symptoms of bipolar disorder include: extreme irritability, poor judgment, spending sprees, denial of any problems, distractibility, not being able to concentrate well, and an increased sexual drive.

According to Wikipedia, it is not a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormal elevated mood. These three disorders are cyclothymia, manic depression, and BipolarII.

Cyclothymia involves a presence or history of hypomanic episodes with periods of depression that do not meet criteria for major depressive episodes. Manic depression is characterized by feelings of high highs, and very low lows. People who suffer from manic depression can feel extreme mood changes for no apparent reason, and often toy with thoughts of suicide.

Bipolar II is characterized by by one or more major depressive episodes accompanied by at least one Hypomanic episode. Bipolar II has hypomanic, but not manic episodes.

Although bipolar disease may seem hard to cope with at times, there are medical solutions to help people with this illness lead normal lives. Keeping a daily mood graph is also a helpful solution when trying to keep the disease under control. This will give you visual insight as to how you are progressing.

Medications for bipolar disorder are mostly prescribed by psychiatrists, but can also be prescribed by knowledgeable medical doctors. These medicines are called mood stabilizers, and they come in many forms. So, if you are a person living with bipolar disorder, remember that you don't have to feel like an outcast because there is an answer!