Bipolar disorder is a serious mental health condition that many people have heard about but don’t fully understand.
Individuals with bipolar disorder experience mood episodes, or intense emotional states lasting several days or weeks. These episodes can be manic (abnormally happy, irritable, or energetic), hypomanic (a less severe form of mania), or depressive (deeply sad), states the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Mood episodes often lead to extreme behavior changes, which can in turn cause relationship problems and disruptions to one’s daily routine, especially with work or school.