Health: Bipolar Disorder | Mood Swings?

There are things that we don't know. That's the fact. Who can deny it? So I read the headline "'I wished she was dead': Living with my daughter's bipolar meltdowns". The first thing came to my mind this morning is "what the heck bipolar is?".

I googled "bipolar disorder" and made a little bit of reading.

Bipolar disorder is a condition in which people go back and forth between periods of a very good or irritable mood and depression. The "mood swings" between mania and depression can be very quick.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Bipolar disorder affects men and women equally. It usually starts between ages 15 - 25. The exact cause is unknown, but it occurs more often in relatives of people with bipolar disorder.

Types of bipolar disorder:

People with bipolar disorder type I have had at least one manic episode and periods of major depression. In the past, bipolar disorder type I was called manic depression.

People with bipolar disorder type II have never had full mania. Instead they experience periods of high energy levels and impulsiveness that are not as extreme as mania (called hypomania). These periods alternate with episodes of depression.

A mild form of bipolar disorder called cyclothymia involves less severe mood swings. People with this form alternate between hypomania and mild depression. People with bipolar disorder type II or cyclothymia may be wrongly diagnosed as having depression.

Source: PubMed Health

You know what, I think I used to meet and know such people. The worse part is that I start to think that I could have it because mood swings did occur to me.