Bipolar Disorder is a 🏷️#mental-health-condition marked by recurring episodes of mania or hypomania and depression that shift a person's mood, energy, activity and ability to function.
The 📝Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 places Bipolar Disorder in its own chapter, "Bipolar and Related Disorders," separate from the depressive disorders. Its main forms are Bipolar I, defined by at least one manic episode lasting a week or requiring hospitalization; Bipolar II, defined by at least one hypomanic episode and at least one major depressive episode without full mania; and Cyclothymic Disorder, in which milder hypomanic and depressive symptoms fluctuate for at least two years in adults. It is a mood condition, not one of the ten 📝Personality Disorders the DSM-5 recognizes.
Manic episodes involve elevated or irritable mood, increased energy, a reduced need for sleep, racing thoughts and impulsive or risky behavior; hypomania is a shorter, milder form that does not cause marked impairment. Depressive episodes bring persistent sadness, hopelessness, loss of interest and fatigue, resembling major 📝depression. The cause is not fully understood; family and twin studies point to a strong genetic contribution that interacts with biological and environmental factors such as stress and disrupted sleep.
Treatment usually combines medication, including mood stabilizers such as lithium, certain anticonvulsants and atypical antipsychotics, with psychotherapy such as 📝Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and steady sleep and daily routines. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 2.8% of U.S. adults had Bipolar Disorder in the past year and 4.4% experience it at some point in their lives. Clinicians commonly describe the condition as 📝egodystonic: people often recognize their manic or depressive states as foreign to themselves, which helps distinguish it from 📝Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), with which it is sometimes confused.