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    Bipolar disorder

    双相障碍

    Clinical diagnosis
    Also called
    manic depression, manic-depressive illness, bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, mania, hypomania

    How is bipolar disorder different from ordinary mood swings?

    Bipolar disorder is an episodic mood disorder with manic or hypomanic episodes, and in most people depressive episodes too, each lasting days to weeks for most of every day.[1][2] Mood, energy and activity shift clearly from the person’s usual self, in ways others notice, unlike everyday ups and downs.[1][2]

    Usual range

    Elevated or irritable ↑

    Low ↓ Time → (about 3 months, schematic)

    Schematic, not a self-test.

    Select a lane, band or box for details.
    Schematic; the lines are not real case histories. Three lanes share the same mood bands: everyday ups and downs on top, then one possible course of bipolar I and of bipolar II. The vertical axis shows only direction and rough degree, not a measurable score. Select a part for details. Select a part for details
    Schematic; the lines are not real case histories. Three lanes share the same mood bands: everyday ups and downs on top, then one possible course of bipolar I and of bipolar II. The vertical axis shows only direction and rough degree, not a measurable score. Select a part for details. Save as image (PNG)

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    Key points

    • Bipolar I requires a manic or mixed episode: mania lasting a week or more that disrupts life, needs hospital care or brings delusions. Bipolar II has hypomania and depression but never mania.[1][2]
    • In mania people need little sleep, feeling fine on two or three hours, unlike insomnia, where they want sleep but cannot get it.[1] Hypomania often feels productive, so few seek help.[1][2]
    • Among 61,392 adults in 11 countries, lifetime prevalence was about 0.6% for bipolar I and 0.4% for bipolar II (0.3% and 0.2% in Shenzhen). Half of bipolar I began before 25.[3]
    • Episodes tend to recur, so care is long term: NICE advises long-term medication plus a structured psychological intervention designed for bipolar disorder to prevent relapse; CBT can help in depressive phases.[4]

    An example

    For a week Jay has slept three hours a night without feeling tired. He talks nonstop, comes up with several business plans a day and charges two new cameras to his card; coworkers say he seems like a different person. A change this marked, lasting days, calls for a prompt psychiatric assessment, not a checklist.[4]

    Misreadings and limits

    Being moody, happy one moment and sad the next, is not bipolar disorder; elation at good news and gloom after a setback are normal.[1] Diagnosis takes a psychiatrist weighing the course over time and family history; online tests cannot diagnose.[2][4] Suspected mania or severe depression, or any risk of harm to self or others, needs prompt medical help.[4]

    If you need help now

    If you’re struggling to cope or having thoughts of harming yourself:

    If you’re in immediate danger, call your local emergency number.

    Psyfield is not a crisis service. Numbers checked October 2026.

    Sources

    1. 1 World Health Organization (2025). Mood disorders: Manic episode; Hypomanic episode; 6A60 Bipolar type I disorder; 6A61 Bipolar type II disorder. ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics (2025-01 release). View source
    2. 2 National Institute of Mental Health (2025). Bipolar disorder. National Institute of Mental Health (NIH Publication No. 25-MH-8088, revised 2025). View source
    3. 3 Merikangas, K. R., Jin, R., He, J.-P., Kessler, R. C., Lee, S., Sampson, N. A., Viana, M. C., Andrade, L. H., Hu, C., Karam, E. G., Ladea, M., Medina-Mora, M. E., Ono, Y., Posada-Villa, J., Sagar, R., Wells, J. E., & Zarkov, Z. (2011). Prevalence and correlates of bipolar spectrum disorder in the World Mental Health Survey Initiative. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68(3), 241–251. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.12
    4. 4 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2014). Bipolar disorder: Assessment and management (CG185). National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (last updated 2 September 2025). View source

    Last checked against sources: October 28, 2026