Can anyone explain to me the major differences between bipolar 1 & 2?
Monday, June 7th, 2010 at
9:09 am
I was diagnosed 8 years ago with type 2. I’ve been seeing the same psychiatrist for going on 3 years and now he says that he believes that I have type 1.
Tagged with: anyone • between • Bipolar • Differences • Explain • major
Filed under: Bipolar Type 1
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He gave you a diagnosis without an explanation? That is lame of him.
Bipolar II deals with a cyclical pattern of depression and hypomania (in lay terms, high energy).
Bipolar I deals with the same kind of cyclical pattern only with manic episodes instead of hypomanic. Manic episodes often involves incredibly poor judgement, legal issues, doing wild things like spending all your money in a night, engaging in promiscious sexual behavior, etc.
Bipolar Disorder: Forms of Bipolar Disorder
There are several types of bipolar disorder; all involve episodes of depression and mania to a degree.
Bipolar disorder is a lifelong illness. Episodes of mania and depression eventually can occur again, if you don’t get treatment. A small percentage of people will continue to have symptoms, even after getting treatment.
Bipolar I disorder involves episodes of severe mood swings, from mania and depression.
Bipolar II disorder is a milder form, involving milder episodes of hypomania that alternate with depression.
Cyclothymic disorder describes even milder mood changes.
With mixed bipolar disorder, there is both mania and depression at the same time. “The person feels grandiose, with racing thoughts, all this energy — but is also irritable, angry, moody, feeling bad,” says Michael Aronson, MD, a clinical psychiatrist and consultant for WebMD. “This can be a dangerous mix.”
Rapid-cycling bipolar disorder is characterized by four or more mood episodes that occur within a 12-month period. Some people experience multiple episodes within a single week, or even within a single day. Rapid cycling tends to develop later in the course of illness. Women are more likely than men to have rapid cycling. A rapid-cycling pattern increases risk for severe depression and suicide attempts.
Antidepressants are thought to trigger and prolong rapid cycling. However, that theory is controversial and is still being studied.
WebMD Medical Reference
Simply put, BP2 is more depressed than manic, and BP1 is more manic than depressed. It is a question of whether you are normally up or down.