Understanding the 3 Main Types of Bipolar Disorder

There are three main types of bipolar disorder. Understanding the three different types of bipolar disorder will help you be able to diagnose and spot the different types and have knowledge about each one. If you have friends or family members that suffer from some form of bipolar, having an awareness of the different types will help you understand them and create a special relationship with a person that has a mood disorder or mental illness. As a rule of thumb, you should always seek to understand people first before wanting to be understood.

The first type of bipolar disorder is called bipolar one. This is the most classic form of the disorder and diagnosed in most patients. This particular type allows patients to have both episodes of mania and depression over time. Because of many overlapping symptoms, this is often misdiagnosed as schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder. It is not the fault of the doctors, just many overlapping symptoms and other confusing aspects of mood disorders and mental illnesses.

Being able to spot signs and symptoms of mania and depression are fairly easily if you are educated in doing so. Mania usually involves high amounts of energy and becoming extremely irritable at different times for no apparent reason. Having a lack of patience is a very common side effect of individuals experiencing a manic episode. Depression on the other hand is usually quite the opposite, allowing patients to be very down, empty inside and said most of the day. Mixed episodes are also very common where individuals can have symptoms of both depression and mania.

The second form is called bipolar two disorder. This is very similar to bipolar one, except for the manic episodes associated with this type of bipolar are referred to as hypomanic episodes. They are not as extreme in nature, often leaving patients to feel very euphoric as if nothing is wrong. They do experience full-blown depressive episodes, just like individuals that have type 1 bipolar disorder.

The third type is referred to as rapid cycling bipolar disorder. This is where individuals will have depressive and manic episodes that are very recurrent and fast pace. In order to be properly diagnosed with rapid cycling, a person must experience a minimum of four episodes of either mania or depression, or a combination of both within the 12 month period. Whenever this diagnosis is made, proper treatment must follow immediately for the safety of the patient.