Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a disease state that brings severe high and low moods and changes in sleep, energy, thinking and behavior. There are different levels of severity of Bipolar disorder designated by bipolar 1, 2, etc., but the main difference is the severity of the symptomatology. Bipolar disorder, as the name implies, has different “poles”- mania or hypomania and depression.
Symptoms of mania could include:
Excessive happiness, hopefulness, and excitement
Sudden changes from being joyful to being irritable, angry and hostile
Restlessness
Rapid speech and poor concentration
Increased energy and less need for sleep
Unusually high sex drive
Making grand and unrealistic plans
Showing poor judgment
Drug and alcohol abuse
Less need for sleep
Less of an appetite
Larger sense of self-confidence and well-being
Being easily distracted
Obviously, this list is subjective and almost everyone has had some of these symptoms at one time or another. To make a diagnosis of bipolar disorder depends on some combination of the symptoms and ruling out other diagnostic possibilities such as substance issues or personality disorders than can have very similar presentation.