When the term bipolar disorder is brought up, most people immediately think of mania versus depression. For women, they spend more of their time in the depressed state versus in the manic state. With bipolar, you have stages when you are extremely depressed and then on the reverse sector, you can be extremely manic. Mania can cause you to act completely wild and irrational. It is important to speak to your doctor about bipolar and manic bipolar because the treatments are completely different from one another.

Depending upon the type of bipolar you are diagnosed with, you may have regular bipolar, bipolar depression, or bipolar mania. Regular bipolar is when you have mixed highs and lows of depression and mania. When you have bipolar mania, you tend to have extreme energy or elation for about a week at a time. The highs leave a person feeling agitated, talkative, reckless, aggressive, and reckless. Once the highs wear off, the individual is often left in a deep state of depression for a few days at a time. Lastly there is bipolar depression. This is when you are in a state of depression for about 2 weeks. During this time you have absolutely no energy and feelings of sadness and hopelessness tend to consume your every thought. Social withdraw along with thoughts of suicide are common in individuals with bipolar depression.

Who is at risk for bipolar disorder? Several researchers have found that there is a link between your hormone levels and bipolar disorder. The medications used to treat bipolar help to regulate the chemicals in the brain to help them stabilize your mood. Other things that cause bipolar disorder to develop include stress, lack of sleep, and alcohol or substance abuse.

There are a few other factors that contribute to bipolar disorder. Hypothyroidism is another thing that causes mood instability along with depression. Females tend to struggle with these mood swings due to hormonal imbalances from their menstruation cycle or pregnancy.

When you are wondering if you have bipolar disorder, one of the first things you should do is to sit down with the people that you are close to and talk to them about your mood. They are usually going to be the individuals that let you know if they have noticed you in moments of hyperactivity or in depression. For men, the first acknowledgement of bipolar disorder tends to be when they are in the manic state. For women, the acknowledgement of bipolar is in the depressive state.

The frustration researchers have with bipolar disorder is that some feel that bipolar disorder is a hereditary condition while others have done studies on siblings and twins and they found that while one twin or sibling had it, the other did not. This evidence indicates that bipolar disorder is not a hereditary condition. Bipolar disorder has also been shown to skip generations. Researchers have also found that bipolar disorder is caused by multiple genes. These genes are sensitive to several factors that cause the condition to worsen like stress, anxiety, sleep deprivation, and lifestyle choices. Half of bipolar patients have a problem with alcohol consumption because they use it as a crutch to get through the depressive state. Getting rid of alcohol and stress will easily help you control bipolar and it will allow you to regain control over your life.