Types of Bipolar disorder

Types list:

The list of types of Bipolar disorder mentioned in various sources includes:

• Bipolar I disorder - recurrent episodes of mania and depression
• Bipolar II disorder - episodes of mild mania (hypomania) and depression
• Rapid-cycling bipolar disorder - 4 or more episodes a year

Types discussion:

Bipolar Disorder: NIMH (Excerpt)

The classic form of the illness, which involves recurrent episodes of mania and depression, is called bipolar I disorder. Some people, however, never develop severe mania but instead experience milder episodes of hypomania that alternate with depression; this form of the illness is called bipolar II disorder. When 4 or more episodes of illness occur within a 12-month period, a person is said to have rapid-cycling bipolar disorder. 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 and is more common among women than among men. (Source: excerpt from Bipolar Disorder: NIMH)

Depression in Children and Adolescents A Fact Sheet for Physicians: NIMH (Excerpt)

Existing evidence indicates that bipolar disorder beginning in childhood or early adolescence may be a different, possibly more severe form of the illness than older adolescent- and adult-onset bipolar disorder.³⁸ When the illness begins before or soon after puberty, it is often characterized by a continuous, rapid-cycling, irritable, and mixed symptom state that may co-occur with disruptive behavior disorders, particularly attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or conduct disorder (CD), or may have features of these disorders as initial symptoms. In contrast, later adolescent- or adult-onset bipolar disorder tends to begin suddenly, often with a classic manic episode, and to have a more episodic pattern with relatively stable periods between episodes. There is also less co-occurring ADHD or CD among those with later onset illness. (Source: excerpt from Depression in Children and Adolescents A Fact Sheet for Physicians: NIMH)

Research More About Bipolar disorder

• Introduction: Bipolar disorder
• Symptoms: Bipolar disorder
• Complications: Bipolar disorder
• Treatments: Bipolar disorder