There is no doubt the importance of the human brain. The brain is responsible for regulating all activities in the body from something as simple as lifting a finger or smiling to something as complex as doing complicated mathematical equations or surgery. The brain sends signals to the limbs and it sends signals to the organs of the body to perform internal functions that we cannot see or are aware of. It is also responsible for our decision-making, our moods, and all the behaviors we are aware of even when we cannot figure out why we do the things that we do. If the brain is damaged in anyway if will affect something somewhere in our body and cause a body part to malfunction or a human behavior to become maladaptive to the environment or situation in which a human being will find him or herself in.

Mental health is just as important as physical health. If you are physically ill it will affect your mental health and if you are mentally ill it will affect your physical health as well. For example, if you are physically ill you may become depressed because of your condition and if you are mentally ill you may do reckless things that could affect your physical well-being as well. Some mental disorders will be caused by accidents, some mental disorders are present at birth, and some materialize much later in life.

Bipolar II is one of the mood disorders and a subtype of Bipolar Disorder. In Bipolar disorder, there are mood swings from extremely manic, which is a state of euphoria also called hypermania, to very depressed which is at the opposite end of the mood spectrum. Bipolar II does not have the extreme highs of hypermania though is has much higher than normal highs than the average person experiences and this milder form of mania is known as hypomania. The depression also is not as extreme as in Bipolar I. To be given the diagnosis of Bipolar II a person must have at least one hypomania and one depressive episode in a lifetime. An episode can last for days or longer. In a hypomanic episode the person will feel very elated, and they can be very goal oriented and very creative. The individual can be easily irritated or annoyed. The behavior is a marked difference from when the person is depressed or even in a regular mood. However, it is not as severe as the mood swings expressed in Bipolar I Disorder.

People with Bipolar II Disorder will lack energy and lose interest in the things they love to do when they are in a depressive episode. They will feel useless and helpless and sometimes these moods are strong enough to make them think about death and even to attempt or commit suicide. The hypomanic manic episodes would be when people suffering from bipolar II disorder are feeling well and can work and study and do things like other people only they are doing it to the extreme. These are your workaholics who stay overtime when they do not have to. These are the people who are very goal oriented and drive themselves to their limits and beyond. These are also the people with very creative minds who can think outside of the box. Hypomania does not produce the hallucinations and the delusions which can be found with hypermania and so that is why the people experiencing a hypomanic experience can still function in society, until they burnout and fall into a depressive mood.

Bipolar II episodes can come very close in proximity (4 or more episodes during the course of a year). When these manic and depressive episodes come so quickly it is called rapid cycling. If you feel you may be suffering from this mood disorder to not wait; go to the doctor while you are feeling better and let him or her know of your different mood swings. There is help available.

Related Articles

• Bipolar Depression
• Bipolar People
• Bipolar 2
• Mania Depression
• Bipolar Spectrum
• Bipolar Psychosis
• hypomania

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