Bipolar disorder is an illness that leads to severe mood swings, called episodes. These moods may happen with no clear relationship to what’s actually going on in your life. Bipolar disorder can lead to conflicts at home or at work, or financial problems (such as spending sprees during manic episodes). There is no cure for bipolar disorder, but there are effective treatments available.

» Learn who is affected by bipolar disorder.

Types of bipolar disorder
The type of bipolar disorder you have is determined by the kinds of episodes you experience. There are 2 types of bipolar disorder:

• Bipolar I disorder: People with bipolar I disorder have episodes of serious manic symptoms and sometimes deep depression
• Bipolar II disorder: People with bipolar II disorder also have episodes of depression. But their manic episodes tend to have milder symptoms. This milder type of mania is also known as hypomania

Types of episodes
There are 3 main types of bipolar episodes:

• Manic episodes: The high moods—or “mania”—that can make you feel overly happy, irritable, or restless
• Depressive episodes: The low moods, which can make you feel very sad, hopeless, or fatigued
• Mixed episodes: Having symptoms of acute manic episodes and depressive episodes at the same time

How symptoms can impact your life
Bipolar disorder can disrupt your life on many levels—personally, financially, even physically. And it can make it more difficult to maintain relationships that are important to you.

“When I was manic, I’d yell at people because I felt they were slow. I came close to losing my job.”

—Amelia^†

What causes bipolar disorder?
Scientists don’t know for sure what causes bipolar disorder, though they believe it may be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. Current medicines are designed to help correct these imbalances and have been shown to be effective at improving symptoms for many people.

Talk to your doctor about treatment options, including GEODON
Talk to your doctor about treatment options if you or someone you care about has bipolar disorder. Options may include different types of medicines and psychotherapy. Learn more about GEODON.

Next: Recognizing episodes