Riding the Bipolar Roller Coaster

Thomas Tsirakis, BA

Bipolar disorder is a recurrent and potentially incapacitating illness affecting a person's mood and behaviour, which manifests itself in different ways throughout its course (Table 1). The first episode of bipolar disorder may be manic, hypomanic (milder form of mania with elevated mood), mixed (both mania and depression), or depressive. Due to the extremely variable nature of the illness, it may present itself differently from patient to patient in terms of the severity and duration of episodes. Often, the type of episode an individual experiences may also follow a seasonal pattern (e.g. hypomanic in the summer and depressed in the winter.) With proper intervention, some people recover completely between episodes and may experience years of symptom-free relief, while others may experience continuous low-grade depression and mild mood swings throughout the course of their lives.

Bipolar disorder is classified according to the symptoms that an individual experiences. In Bipolar I Disorder, an individual will have one or more manic episodes, or mixed episodes, lasting at least one week. Many also experience at least one major depressive episode. In Bipolar II Disorder, a person will have one or more major depressive episodes accompanied by at least one hypomanic episode but no manic episodes.