
| What is bipolar disorder? Bipolar disorder used to be known as manic depressive illness. It affects more than 2 million Americans. People with this illness tend to experience extreme mood swings. These mood swings can be manic, depressive, or mixed. It is believed that too much or too little neurotransmitters (dopamine & serotonin) is the cause of bipolar disorder. Too much dopamine causes delusions or hallucinations. Too little do causes lack of emotion or energy. Manic episodes can be extremely happy or irritable or anxious or paranoid or delusional or have hallucinations. Depressive episodes often have overwhelming feeling of emptiness or sadness, a lack of energy, loss of interest in things, trouble concentrating, thoughts of dying or suicide. Mixed episode is both manic and depressive. |