Psychiatry

Bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder also known by its older name “manic depression,” is a mental disorder that is characterized by constantly changing moods. A person with bipolar disorder experiences alternating “highs” called “mania or hypomania” and “lows” called depression. Both the mania and depressive periods can be brief, from just a few hours to a few days, or longer, lasting up to several weeks or even months. The periods of depression range from person to person. Sometimes many people experience very brief periods of intense moods, thus they may not even be aware of having bipolar disorder.