You may have heard of manic depression, but bipolar disorder still confuses some people. In actual fact though, this is the new name for the same condition. It is characterised by severe mood swings that can take a person from feeling elated to feeling extremely depressed.

But there are two types of bipolar which may be diagnosed, called simply type I and type II. The mood swings are present with both types of bipolar disorder. But it is the difference in severity at certain points that provides the ability to diagnose either type I or type II bipolar disorder.

If someone is diagnosed with bipolar disorder of the type I variety, they will have experienced an episode of mania. They may also have experienced an episode of depression although this is not necessarily the case. As you can probably tell, the emphasis here is on the manic part of the illness. Even if the patient does exhibit depressive signs and has those episodes at certain times, they will experience the manic side of bipolar disorder far more than the depressive stage.

Someone with type I bipolar will likely be very confident in their own skills and self. They may come across as being able to do and achieve anything and everything, but they don.t have the concentration levels to stick at anything for any length of time.

The element of ambition and excitement may sound like a good thing. But remember that someone with bipolar type I will be very different from someone who is naturally self confident, ambitious and forward thinking. We are talking about mania here, and in some cases of type I the person may even suffer from hallucinations and visions which don.t exist. It can be a dangerous mental state to be in, for both the person who has bipolar and the people around them.

So how does this differ from a diagnosis of type II bipolar disorder?

With type II the person may have exhibited a hypomanic episode, but they will also have had an instance where they were found to be depressed to a major extent. Hypomania means .below mania., so basically it is not as severe as a manic episode. Someone who has type II bipolar will experience the depressive state of the disorder more strongly than someone who has type I.

Hypomania can be productive in some cases. This part of the condition lasts for several days at most and the person suffering from it may get lots done before the symptoms reside. As such type II can be less destructive and less upsetting to the everyday life of the sufferer, because episodes of mania are not present. Whereas type I can be dangerous at times, this does not normally apply to type II sufferers.

The main thing to be aware of with type II sufferers is that they can still suffer from major depressive episodes. Needless to say these can be very destructive and can ruin a person.s life. Maintaining relationships and struggling to cope with the fallout from a depressive episode is where the problems really lie, and proper treatment . as with all cases of bipolar disorder . can help reduce these occurrences.

It is clear though that type II bipolar disorder is the .better. one to have in most cases. Type I can indeed be more severe, and since it can also lead to suicidal episodes (which is not the case with type II) proper treatment is even more important. The faster diagnosis can be made and treatment given, the better the outlook will be.

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• Bipolar II Disorder . Four Signs You May Be Bipolar
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• Bipolar Mania Disorder . Triggers To Watch Out For
• Bipolar Research

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