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Bipolar disorder is a serious disorder of the brain. It may severely disrupt your life. At times, it may cause you and your loved ones great pain. But there is hope. Although there is no cure, treatment can help control your symptoms. Talk with your healthcare provider or a mental health professional. They can offer guidance and support.
What causes bipolar disorder?
The exact causes of bipolar disorder aren’t known. It is known that the disease runs in families. Genes that affect nerve cells in the brain may be inherited, but as yet these genes have not been found.
Who does it affect?
Over5 million adults in this country have bipolar disorder. Most often, it strikes young adults. It can affect children and older adults as well. Bipolar disorder affects both men and women. It can strike people of all races, cultures, and incomes.
Ups and downs
Bipolar disorder used to be called manic-depressive illness. That is because it causes extreme mood swings. At times the person may feel almost too happy. These times are often followed by great despair. In some cases, both extremes may occur at once. More often, moods shift back and forth. These mood swings may occur just once in a while. Or they may happen 4 or more times a year. Without treatment, they will likely recur throughout life.
Manic episodes
During manic episodes of bipolar disorder, you feel like you’re on top of the world. Even the worst news can’t seem to bring you down. You’ll likely feel as if you can do anything. And sometimes you may try. You may take great risks, thinking you can’t be hurt. The risks can involve dangerous physical, emotional, and financial decisions. You may also talk too fast, and your thoughts may race. You may go for days without sleeping. And you might be very active and do a lot of things in a short time. Manic episodes often end in a depression.
Depressive episodes
In depressive episodes, you feel intense, overwhelming sadness and depression. You may also feel worthless, tired, and helpless. Even the things you value most don’t give you pleasure. At times you may want to die. You may even think about taking your own life.
Warning signs for suicide
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Thinking often about taking your life
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Planning how you may attempt it
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Talking or writing about committing suicide
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Feeling that death is the only solution to your problems
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Feeling a pressing need to make out your will or arrange your funeral
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Giving away things you own
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Participating in risky behaviors, such as sex with someone you don't know or drinking and driving
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Buying a lethal weapon, such as a gun, or hoarding medicines that could be used in an overdose
Call 988
If you notice any of the warning signs for suicide, get help right away. Call or text 988. You will be connected to trained crisis counselors at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. An online chat option is also available at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Lifeline is free and available 24/7.
How daily issues affect your health
Many things in your daily life impact your health. This can include transportation, money problems, housing, access to food, and childcare. If you can’t get to medical appointments, you may not receive the care you need. When money is tight, it may be difficult to pay for medicines. And living far from a grocery store can make it hard to buy healthy food.
If you have concerns in any of these or other areas, talk with your healthcare team. They may know of local resources to assist you. Or they may have a staff person who can help.
To learn more
For more information, use the resources below:
Online Medical Reviewer:L Renee Watson MSN RN
Online Medical Reviewer:Marianne Fraser MSN RN
Online Medical Reviewer:Paul Ballas MD
Date Last Reviewed:7/1/2022
© 2000-2024 The StayWell Company, LLC. All rights reserved. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional's instructions.
FAQs
People with bipolar disorder experience periods of unusually intense emotion and changes in sleep patterns and activity levels, and engage in behaviors that are out of character for them—often without recognizing their likely harmful or undesirable effects. These distinct periods are called mood episodes.
What is the average lifespan of someone with bipolar disorder? ›
Living with bipolar disorder is associated with decreased life expectancy. According to a 2022 review, pooled life expectancy in bipolar disorder is around 67 years, which is 13 years less than the general population.
Why is living with bipolar so hard? ›
A person who has bipolar disorder also experiences changes in their energy, thinking, behavior, and sleep. During bipolar mood episodes, it is difficult to carry out day-to-day tasks, go to work or school, and maintain relationships.
What percentage of bipolar relationships fail? ›
What percentage of bipolar disorder relationships fail? Anywhere between 29-39% of marriages in the general population have resulted in divorce. The divorce rates for those living with bipolar disorder can be a much as 2-3x higher the general population, according to 2021 research.
How does a person with bipolar think? ›
Bipolar disorder is usually associated with extreme changes in mood, from manic to depressive. During these episodes, individuals can also experience intense shifts in their thinking patterns. The most common bipolar thinking patterns include rapid thinking, rumination, black-and-white thinking, and suicidal thoughts.
Does bipolar get worse with age? ›
Many experts consider bipolar disorder a progressive condition that worsens with age, especially without treatment. Some people notice changes in the frequency and severity of episodes as they age. Bipolar disorder (BD) causes extreme changes in a person's mood and energy, leading to emotional highs and lows.
What is end stage bipolar? ›
Late stages are characterized by chronic cognitive and functional impairment, often with subsyndromal mood symptoms. In this vein, progression of BD has been associated with higher rates of comorbidity (Matza et al. 2005), higher risk of hospitalization (Goldberg and Ernst 2002), and suicide (Hawton et al.
What is the most common cause of death in bipolar disorder? ›
Specific‐cause mortality was highest for suicide (RR = 11.69, 95% CI: 9.22–14.81, k = 25). Risk of death due to unnatural causes (RR = 7.29, 95% CI: 6.41–8.28, k = 17) and natural causes (RR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.75–2.06, k = 17) were also increased.
Can a bipolar person ever be stable? ›
While bipolar disorder cannot be cured, the symptoms can be managed with therapy and medication. This article explores the various treatment options for bipolar disorder that can help you achieve stability, including psychotherapy, medication, additional therapies, and lifestyle changes.
What are bipolar facial features? ›
On a background of minor dysmorphologies of the upper face, maxilla, midface and periorbital region, the main features in bipolar disorder are (a) retrusion and shortening of the premaxilla, nose, philtrum, lips and mouth (the frontonasal prominences), with (b) protrusion and widening of the mandible-chin.
Isolation and loneliness make bipolar disorder worse. If you don't have a support network you can count on, take steps to develop new relationships. Try taking a class, joining a church or a civic group, volunteering, or attending events in your community.
How does a bipolar person love? ›
And when I'm in love, it's a love so passionate that if things end, it feels like the world is crumbling around me,” says Macklin. These experiences can be common for people with bipolar disorder — a condition involving extreme mood episodes that often alternate between intense emotional highs and lows.
What are bipolar eyes? ›
Bipolar eyes describe changes such as pupil size, eye brightness, and gaze that occur with bipolar disorder. These changes differ in the manic vs. depressive stages of this disease. There are some reports that bipolar eyes exist. However, it is not enough to use these changes as diagnostic tools.
Is cheating common with bipolar? ›
Those with bipolar disorder may also engage in risky behaviors such as unprotected sex or extramarital affairs while manic. During episodes of depression, your partner may avoid sexual contact altogether.
What is bipolar ghosting? ›
When your loved one is feeling depressed or isolated, they may want to push you away. They may even avoid all contact or communication with you. You may have heard of this as “bipolar ghosting.” When this happens, it does not mean that they are cutting you off.
What is bipolar disorder in simple terms? ›
Overview. Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression). When you become depressed, you may feel sad or hopeless and lose interest or pleasure in most activities.
How do you explain someone is bipolar? ›
Bipolar disorder is characterised by extreme mood swings. These can range from extreme highs (mania) to extreme lows (depression). Episodes of mania and depression often last for several days or longer.
Which best describes bipolar disorder? ›
Bipolar Disorder Symptoms. In bipolar disorder, the dramatic episodes of high and low moods do not follow a set pattern. Someone may feel the same mood state (depressed or manic) several times before switching to the opposite mood. These episodes can happen over a period of weeks, months, and sometimes even years.
What is a better understanding of bipolar disorder? ›
Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that can cause unusual shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels. These shifts range from highs (manic episodes) to lows (depressive episodes). About 5.7 million American adults have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
