More than 2 million people in the U.S. have manic-depressive illness, now usually referred to as bipolar disorder. It is distressing and disruptive to their lives and, like any serious illness, bipolar disorder also creates problems for spouses, family members, friends, and employers. These people often have to cope with a bipolar person.s serious behavioral problems which can have any number of lasting, unpleasant consequences. If there is bipolar disorder present in one member of a family, there is a likelihood of others in the family also having it, and there is strong evidence that it is inherited. However, despite ongoing research, a specific genetic defect associated with the disease has not yet been found. Bipolar illness has been diagnosed in children under age 12, but it is not common in this age bracket. The general onset age is between teen years and the early twenties. The symptoms can be confused with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD or ADHD), so careful diagnosis is necessary.

Bipolar mania presents in a manic episode which is an abnormally elevated, euphoric mood or an irritable mood, which is not related to substance abuse or a medical condition, and lasts for at least a week. It can include a number of disturbances in behavior and thinking processes resulting in significant life adjustment problems.

Bipolar mania, hypomania, and depression are all symptoms of bipolar disorder. The dramatic mood swings which occur in bipolar disorder do not follow a set pattern. Episodes of depression do not always follow mania. Some people with untreated bipolar disorder have repeated depressions and only an occasional episode of hypomania, such as occurs in bipolar II disorder. At the other end of the range, mania may be the main problem and depression may occur infrequently. Or symptoms of mania and depression may be mixed together in a single .mixed. bipolar state.

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