Balancing the Extremes: Bipolar Disorder Explained

Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic-depressive illness, is a lifelong mental health condition and a mood disorder. The disorder causes extreme shift in mood, energy levels, thinking and behavioural patterns. These shifts can last for hours, days, weeks or months. Due to these shifts, the individual’s day-to-day life and tasks are disrupted. There are types of bipolar disorder which involve significant experience of fluctuations in mood. These can include hypomanic or manic and depressive episodes. These individuals also experience periods of normal mood, which is known as euthymia.