Bipolar Disorder (cont.)
How does bipolar disorder affect someone over time?
Bipolar disorder usually lasts a lifetime. Episodes of mania and depression
typically come back over time. Between episodes, many people with bipolar
disorder are free of symptoms, but some people may have lingering symptoms.
Doctors usually diagnose mental disorders using guidelines from the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM. According to the
DSM, there are four basic types of bipolar disorder:
- Bipolar I Disorder is mainly defined by manic or mixed episodes that last at
least seven days, or by manic symptoms that are so severe that the person needs
immediate hospital care. Usually, the person also has depressive episodes,
typically lasting at least two weeks. The symptoms of mania or depression must
be a major change from the person's normal behavior.
- Bipolar II Disorder is
defined by a pattern of depressive episodes shifting back and forth with
hypomanic episodes, but no full-blown manic or mixed episodes.
- Bipolar Disorder
Not Otherwise Specified (BP-NOS) is diagnosed when a person has symptoms of the
illness that do not meet diagnostic criteria for either bipolar I or II. The
symptoms may not last long enough, or the person may have too few symptoms, to
be diagnosed with bipolar I or II. However, the symptoms are clearly out of the
person's normal range of behavior.
- Cyclothymic Disorder, or Cyclothymia, is a
mild form of bipolar disorder. People who have cyclothymia have episodes of
hypomania that shift back and forth with mild depression for at least two years.
However, the symptoms do not meet the diagnostic requirements for any other type
of bipolar disorder.
Some people may be diagnosed with rapid-cycling bipolar
disorder. This is when a person has four or more episodes of major depression,
mania, hypomania, or mixed symptoms within a year. Some people experience more
than one episode in a week, or even within one day. Rapid cycling seems to be
more common in people who have severe bipolar disorder and may be more common in
people who have their first episode at a younger age. One study found that
people with rapid cycling had their first episode about four years earlier,
during mid to late teen years, than people without rapid cycling bipolar
disorder. Rapid cycling affects more women than men.
Bipolar disorder tends to worsen if it is not treated. Over time, a person
may suffer more frequent and more severe episodes than when the illness first
appeared. Also, delays in getting the correct diagnosis and treatment make a
person more likely to experience personal, social, and work-related problems.
Proper diagnosis and treatment helps people with bipolar disorder lead
healthy and productive lives. In most cases, treatment can help reduce the
frequency and severity of episodes.
Next: What illnesses often co-exist with bipolar disorder? »
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