Bipolar Disorder

"Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. Symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. They are different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through from time to time. Bipolar disorder symptoms can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide. But bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this illness can lead full and productive lives" - Excerpted from the National Institute of Mental Health

Assessment of Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. Symptoms of bipolar disorder are different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through from time to time. Bipolar disorder symptoms can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide. But Bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this illness can lead full and productive lives.  Learn more ...

Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. Symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. They are different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through from time to time. Bipolar disorder symptoms can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide. But bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this illness can lead full and productive lives.  Learn more ...

Bipolar Disorder and Sleep
Sleep deprivation results in feelings of malaise, poor concentration, and moodiness, and even accidental deaths.  Learn more ...

Bipolar Disorder FAQs
People who have the classic form of bipolar disorder experience alternating periods of depressed moods and periods of manic or excited moods. This condition is sometimes referred to as "mood swings" or manic depressive disorder. Other people with bipolar disorder have episodes of a manic mood without episodes of depression. Still others with bipolar disorder have a mixture of depression and mania, a state of hyperactivity, at the same time.  Learn more ...

Bipolar Disorder in Children and Teens: A Parent’s Guide
This booklet discusses bipolar disorder in children and teens. Bipolar disorder often develops in a person's late teens or early adult years, but some people have their first symptoms during childhood.  Learn more ...

Understanding Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, formerly termed "manic-depressive illness," is meant to characterize the fluctuations in mood from one end or "pole" to the other-severe depression to mania.  Learn more ...

Manic-Depressive Disorder
Manic-depressive disorder is the former name for bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a serious brain disease that causes extreme shifts in mood, energy, and functioning. Men and women are equally likely to develop this disabling illness. The disorder typically emerges in adolescence or early adulthood, but in some cases appears in childhood. Cycles, or episodes, of depression, mania, or mixed manic and depressive symptoms typically recur and may become more frequent, often disrupting work, school, family, and social life.  Learn more ...

Treatment of Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families
EDIT - Bipolar disorder is a disease in which the person's mood changes in cycles over time. Over the course of the illness, the person experiences periods of elevated mood, periods of depressed mood, and times when mood is normal. The three most important types of medication used to control the symptoms of bipolar disorder are mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and antipsychotics.  Learn more ...

Answers to Common Questions about CounselingThroughout life, there are times when help is needed to address problems and issues that cause emotional distress or make us feel overwhelmed. When experiencing these types of difficulties, individuals may benefit from the assistance of an experienced, trained professional.  Learn more ...

Depression
Everyone occasionally feels blue or sad, but these feelings are usually fleeting and pass within a couple of days. When a person has a depressive disorder, it interferes with daily life, normal functioning, and causes pain for both the person with the disorder and those who care about him or her. Depression is a common but serious illness, and most who experience it need treatment to get better.  Learn more ...

The Numbers Count: Mental Health Disorders in America
Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.  Learn more ...