Bipolar Disorder Symptoms >> Type of Bipolar Disorder
People with bipolar disorder are not always depressed or manic. Normal or balanced moods can occur for long periods of time. As a matter of fact, over a ten year period, a typical person with bipolar disorder has an average of four episodes.
The course of bipolar disorder varies widely from person to person, with unpredictable differences in the pattern and frequency of the manic and depressive episodes. Some people are more prone to either mania or depression, while others alternate equally between the two types of episodes. Some have frequent mood disruptions, while others experience only a few over a lifetime. The duration and severity of each episode also differs.
Bipolar disorder can be further narrowed into four types, each with its own unique pattern of symptoms:
Bipolar I is the most severe type of bipolar disorder. It is the classic manic-depressive form of the illness. The major distinction of Bipolar I Disorder is the fact that it is characterized by at least one manic episode or mixed episode. Although a previous episode of major depression is not required for diagnosis, the vast majority of people with Bipolar I Disorder have experienced one. The typical course of Bipolar I Disorder involves recurring cycles between mania and depression.
The second type is Bipolar II Disorder in which the person experiences episodes of hypomania and severe depression but does not experience full-blown manic episodes. In order to be diagnosed with
Bipolar II Disorder, you must have experienced at least one hypomanic episode and one major depressive episode in your lifetime. If you ever have a manic episode, your diagnosis would be changed to Bipolar I Disorder.
Cyclothymia, also known as cyclothymic disorder and is a milder form of bipolar disorder. Like bipolar disorder, cyclothymia consists of cyclical mood swings. However, the highs and lows are not severe enough to qualify as either mania or major depression. To be diagnosed with cyclothymia, you must experience numerous periods of hypomania and mild depression over at least a two-year time span. Because people with cyclothymia
are at an increased risk of developing full-blown bipolar disorder, it
is a condition that should be monitored and treated.
Rapid cycling is a subtype of bipolar disorder characterized by four or
more episodes of mania, hypomania, or depression within one year. The
shifts from low to high can occur over a matter of days or hours. Rapid
cycling can occur within any type of bipolar disorder. It usually
develops later in the course of bipolar disorder, but it is sometimes
just a temporary condition.
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