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What is bipolar disorder? |
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Bipolar disorder (also known as bipolar affective disorder or manic depression) is a mental illness which occurs in around one percent of the population. It is a recurring disorder which affects how a person feels in a number of ways. Although we all have fluctuations in our mood, in people with this disorder the changes are often more pronounced and sometimes unpredictable. There may be alternating periods (or episodes) of ‘high’ (mania) and ‘low’ (depressed) mood, with periods of normal mood in between.
Some individuals experience only the ‘highs’, alternating with normal mood. Others may experience ‘mixed states’ where symptoms of both mania and depression are present in the same period of time.
The frequency, duration of episodes and degree to which mania and depression affect an individual varies and may also differ between individuals.
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People with bipolar disorder can have long periods of wellness (months or years) but a small proportion suffer frequent episodes that are difficult to treat with medication or other therapies.
This disorder usually occurs before a person reaches 30 years of age but can occur at any time in life. It is estimated that between 0.4% to 1.2% of the adult population have this disorder (Wells et al. 1989). Up to 5% or 6% of people may experience similar types of mood fluctuations but in much milder, less noticeable forms (Angst et al. 1998).
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What is bipolar disorder ?