Bipolar Disorder, also known as manic-depressive, is a type of mood disorder in which an individual will experience episodes of mania and depression. Usually an individual will experience a time period of mania and then the mania may subside for a while before experiencing a depressive state or vise versa. Bipolar disorder usually begins in adolescence or early adulthood, although it can sometimes start in early childhood or as late as the 40's or 50's. In the United States, over 1.2% of the adult population has bipolar disorder (more than 2.2 million people).

There is no single, proven cause of bipolar disorder, but research strongly suggests that it is often an inherited problem related to a lack of stability in the transmission of nerve impulses in the brain. This instability of nerve transmissions causes people with bipolar disorder to be more vulnerable to emotional and physical stresses. For example, is there is an upsetting life experience or event, the normal brain mechanisms for restoring cam functioning do not always work properly.

There are also theories that bipolar disorder has a genetic link that predisposes individuals to this disorder. This is not saying that if one of your parents have bipolar then you will have bipolar disorder. Just as other medical conditions, such as heart disease, the person might inherit a tendency to have high blood pressure or cholesterol which makes them more susceptible to heart disease.

When a person is experiencing mania or having a manic episode, he/she is feeling usually "high", euphoric, or irritable. Some outward behavioral signs that may indicate a person is in a manic state is; 1) needing little sleep yet having great amounts of energy, 2) talking so fast that others can not follow his/her thinking, 3) having racing thoughts (many thoughts are "racing" fast in his/her head to the point of not being able to keep up with them), 4) being easily distracted the his/her attention switches to numerous topics within a few minutes, 5) having an inflated feeling of power, greatness, or importance, and 6) exhibiting reckless behavior without concern for the consequences. These symptoms are present for at least one week and have cause significant impairment in functioning. Manic episodes can last for several weeks and even months.

Hypomania is another condition similar to mania. Hypomania is a milder form of mania with similar but less severe symptoms and less impairment in functioning.

In a full-blown depressive episode, the following symptoms are present for at least 2 weeks:

• Feeling sad, blue, or down in the dumps or losing interest in things you normally enjoy

• Significant change in sleep pattern
• Loss of appetite or eating too much
• Problems concentrating or making decisions
• Feeling slowed down or feeling too agitated to sit still
• Feeling worthless or guilty or having very low self-esteem
• Loss of energy or feeling tired all of the time
• Thoughts of suicide or death