The seriousness of bipolar cases is indisputable. In fact, many patients who have symptoms of a manic-depression state can be misdiagnosed. Another important fact is that a bipolar test can actually take years before a person is correctly diagnosed. Simply put, this mental illness is very difficult to detect.

When a person with manic-depression disorder is high or manic, it is not surprising that he won’t feel the need for a test. Therefore, only the depressive tendencies are diagnosed most often. The result is an inaccurate diagnosis of the patient, concluding the symptoms as depression only when it is actually a bipolar issue.

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Have you heard of the term mood swings? What about manic depression? If you have, then it wouldn’t be difficult to explain what bipolar disorder means. All these terms mean the same thing. This is a serious mental illness and is categorized as bipolar type 1 and bipolar type 2.

Bipolar disorder is characterized by an abrupt change of moods from an energetic mania (and hypomania) to the lowest depressive state. Both bipolar disorder categories share the same characteristics in mood swing levels. However, the drawing line between the bipolar type 1 and the bipolar type 2 is on the varied episode levels of each mood swing.

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Are you depressed or just feeling life’s normal downs and disappointments? How do you know if you are already suffering from a serious depression or just experiencing a passing moment of life’s dips and downs? There are many factors that predispose a person to greater risk of experiencing clinical depression.

1. A history of depression that runs in the family. There are certain types of depression that runs in the family. An example is bipolar depression also known as manic-depressive disorder. This type of depression throws a person into bouts of highs and lows. Into periods of extreme activity, energy, even to the point of being euphoric. These episodes however are followed

by periods of low energy and depression. Research shows that members of the family affected by bipolar depression show different genetic makeup compared with those who are not affected by the illness. Studies also show that major depression is also exhibited in some families running from generation to generation.

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Our innate desire is to be happy, and when we move away from it, we experience fear.

This fear is actually millions of years old, for it arises from the biological programming of our species.

While we may not have to contend with a sabre-toothed tiger on any given day, we still use those very reactions to deal with events looming ahead.

We think, Will I be fired for making that mistake at work? or Will I be able to meet the mortgage after I fix the car? or Will my health continue to decline? or Will my relationship fall apart after that argument we just fell into?

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Manic depression, also known as Bipolar disorder is characterised by extreme fluctuations in mood ranging from periods of intense “highs” or mania to periods of severe depression or “lows”, however, in reality it is much more complex than that as there is no clear pattern and some can even experience mixed state bipolar, with a combination of both mania and depression.

There is also no known single cause of Bipolar and no way of predicting who will develop it although it does appear to be a tendency for it to run in families suggesting that genetics play a part. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Bipolar affects around one in one hundred adults, although it is possible that

these figures are on the low side as it is believed that many people with Bipolar will not seek help due to denial, misunderstanding and lack of knowledge surrounding the condition. It affects both men and women equally and usually begins in early adulthood but the way it manifests itself is anything but consistent. Episodes can be triggered by stressful events and physical illness or even nothing at all. So how do you know if you have Bipolar disorder?

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