Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic-depressive illness, is a disorder of the mind that can cause very severe mood changes. A person may experience some huge emotional highs, known as mania or hypomania, and emotional lows, known as depression. Hypomania is much milder than mania.

When a person experiences depression, they may feel very sad or hopeless and not find pleasure in things they used to enjoy. And when a person changes from depression to mania/hypomania, they may suddenly feel ecstatic, full of energy, or even very restless. Such mood changes will also affect sleep, energy level, activity level, judgement, and thinking processes.

Changes from depression to mania can take place once a month or a few times at most. Each change can last for many days. During some periods, the person can be stable emotionally, while at other times, the person can switch quickly from one mood to another.

Symptoms
There are various types of bipolar and related conditions:

Bipolar I disorder means that at least one manic episode has occurred, which can happen either before or after hypomanic or major depressive episodes. In some cases, mania might result

Bipolar II disorder means that at least one major depressive episode and one hypomanic episode have occurred. However, no manic episode has ever happened.

Cyclothymic disorder means that there have been at least two years (or one year in children and teenagers) of symptoms of hypomania and symptoms of depression. These symptoms are less severe than those of major depression.

Other kinds of bipolar disorders may occur due to the influence of psychoactive substances or due to a disease, such as Cushing’s syndrome, multiple sclerosis, or stroke.

All these types of disorder may have signs of mania or hypomania, which are more moderate than symptoms of mania, and signs of depression. The symptoms can cause unpredictable changes in mood and behaviour.

Bipolar II disorder does not mean simply having a less serious case of bipolar I disorder. Rather, these two types of bipolar disorder are mutually exclusive. Whereas at least one manic episode of bipolar I disorder may culminate catastrophically, the depressive episodes of bipolar II disorder may keep on going for prolonged periods of time.

Bipolar disorder may emerge at any age, but the official diagnosis usually comes in late adolescence or the early 20s. Moreover, symptoms may differ greatly from person to person and within every individual.

Hypomania and mania

Hypomania and mania are distinct yet share certain characteristics in terms of symptoms. Hypomania is less extreme than mania. It causes fewer issues in one’s professional, educational, and social spheres of life and relationships. Hypomania may or may not trigger psychosis, which would mean visits to hospitals for treatment.
Manic/hypomanic episodes are the times when people experience three or more of the symptoms described below:

• More active than normal.
• Feeling overly well or too self-confident.
• Lessened need for sleep.
• Very talkative.
• Racing thoughts, i.e., change of topics.
• Easily distracted.
• Making bad decisions like going on shopping sprees and making casual investments.