What is bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a medical condition that affects the brain, giving the person periods of extremely high mood and periods of very low mood.
Highs are called "mania" and lows are called "depression". You will often still hear bipolar disorder called by its old name, "manic depression".
The word "bipolar" means patients keep switching between two opposite
"poles" of extreme mood.
Think of mood as a range of feelings and emotions, with depression at one end and mania at the other.
Everyone has good days and bad days, happy moods and sad moods.
Bipolar disorder gives you severely exaggerated, abnormal versions of these feelings. It comes and goes, but it's a lifelong disease.
People with bipolar disorder need various types of treatment and support to deal with it. They have to take an active role in understanding and coping with bipolar disorder.
Nobody has discovered a cure for bipolar disorder, but we use medications to treat some of the symptoms. Many people who have bipolar disorder live full and productive lives. Yet, tragically, more than one in ten people with bipolar disorder try to commit suicide at some point.
It is incredibly important for people with bipolar disorder to take their medication exactly as it was prescribed. Support, love, patience and understanding from family and friends is also a vital part of treatment.
But the disorder can also take its toll on friends and family, just like other serious illnesses. The patient's symptoms can cause many problems in their relationships with other people.
Loved ones can often feel exasperated, angry, useless and even depressed. It is important for friends and family to look after themselves as well as the patient.
