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Conditions›Mental disorder›Mood disorders›Bipolar disorder (manic depression)

Bipolar disorder (manic depression)

Also known as manic depressive illness, this brain disorder causes dramatic shifts in mood, from mania to depression.

Dr. Geoffrey Rutledgereviewed this

Internal Medicine 39 years experience

Is a type of:Mood disorders

How long it usually lasts:

Chronic (lasts years to lifelong)

How common is it?

Common

Common	Extremely rare	Very rare	Rare	Common	Very common
Preteen6-13				Common
Teenager14-18					Very common
Young adult19-40					Very common
Middle-aged adult41-60					Very common

How it can usually be treated?

Incurable but treatment can help

How is it usually diagnosed?

Requires diagnosis by a medical professional

Body locations

Head

Types of

Bipolar disorder in adults

Condition

Bipolar disorder in children

Condition

Bipolar I disorder

Condition

Bipolar II disorder

Condition

Medications

Ratings show how effective doctors think these medications are at treating Bipolar disorder (manic depression)

Procedures

Ratings show how effective doctors think these procedures are at treating Bipolar disorder (manic depression)

Surgery

Electroconvulsive therapy

Other treatments

Behavior therapy

Tests

Cholesterol test

Fasting blood sugar

Toxicology screen

Vitamin D 25 hydroxy

Thyroid blood tests

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Related questions

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I am experiencing mania and bipolar disorder (manic depression).

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What medication is prescribed to bipolar disorder/manic depression? What are the effects of the medication? How does it make you better?

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Can you have bipolar disorder (manic depression), then gradually become more and more depressed, until it just becomes unipolar (depression)?

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Does it sound like i'm suffering from bipolar disorder (manic depression)? I often have sudden, and random shifts in my mood. Sometimes i'm fine, sometimes i'm absolutely irritable and just angry at the world. Then there are times that I am so ridiculousl

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What are the differences between bipolar disorder and manic depression?

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How is manic depression different from bipolar disorder?

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Manic depressive disorder vs major depression, what is the difference?

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Is topomax used for mania or depression associated with bipolar disorder?

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For what reasons was the term manic-depression changed to bipolar disorder?

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