Bipolar Disorder

Also known as maniac-depressive illness.  It is a group of mood disorders characterized by abnormal swings of significant mood changes, ranging from extremely elevated (mania) to depressed.  The disorder usually appears during the teenage years, and tend to recur intermittently throughout life.  It may seriously disrupt a person’s life or even cause suicide.  It is thought to be caused by an abnormality in the brain’s chemistry.  Symptoms may include elevated mood, decreased need for sleep, inflated self-esteem, racing thought or ideas, distractability, hyperactivity, hypertalkative, risk taking behavior, possible episodes of major depressive symptoms, Hypomanic symptoms with bipolar 2, mild manic and depressive symptoms with cyclothymic disorder. Most cases are treated with medications, including mood stabilizers, antipsychotic drugs, anticonvulsants, and antidepressants.  Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may sometimes be used.