B polar disorder

Long time ago I heard my neighbor is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. That didn’t mean anything to me, because I thought it’s just some disease. Then last week I heard on the radio that until recently bipolar disorder was known as manic depression. Now I am really interested in that and would like to hear more about this. I would like to know what bipolar disorder is and is there more different types?

The word bipolar disorder is used to indicate the two poles, or extremes that characterize this disorder. It is the best to explain as globe, where North Pole would be mania. South Pole, in opposite side would represent depression. Every time that person experience symptoms at one pole for at least one week, it is called an episode. Rapid cycling bipolar disorder is experiencing 4 or more episodes of mania and/or depression in a year. American Psychiatric Association defined bipolar disorder with 4 main mood episodes. Those are Mania, Hypomania, Depression and Mixed Mood. Mania is a distinct period during which there is an abnormally elevated irritable mood, lasting at least one week. Hypomanic Episode is milder form of mania that lasts at least 4 days. Depression is period during which there is depressed mood and loss of interests in nearly all activities. Mixed episode is time when person experiences both manic and depressive symptoms every day.