What is bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that can cause intense mood swings:

• Sometimes you may feel extremely "up," elated, irritable, or energized. This is called a manic episode.
• Other times you may feel "down," sad, indifferent, or hopeless. This is called a depressive episode.
• You may have both manic and depressive symptoms together. This is called a mixed episode.

Along with the mood swings, bipolar disorder causes changes in behavior, energy levels, and activity levels.

Bipolar disorder used to be called other names, including manic depression and manic-depressive disorder.

by Medline Plu