Bipolar disorder usually starts in the late teens to mid twenties. A lot of people that have bipolar disorder have relatives in their family that have some kind of mood disorder. Take a look at our Treatments section for some ways to get back to feeling better.

Bipolar disorder is under constant research so we can learn more and more about the problem. So far though it has been found that:

• Bipolar disorder runs in families - it seems to have more to do with genes than with upbringing.
• There is a physical problem with the brain systems which control our moods - this is why bipolar disorder can often be controlled with medication.
• Episodes can sometimes be brought on by stressful experiences or physical illness.

How bipolar disorder feels is purely dependant on which mood you are in. If you are in the 'manic high' stage you will fell completely different than the 'depressive' stage. Look below to see the symptoms and see if you can recognise any of them.

Bipolar has three types of episodes: manic, depressive and mixed.

Depressive stage

Mental:

• Feelings of unhappiness that won't seem to go away
• Feeling that you want to burst into tears for no reason
• Losing interest in things
• Being unable to find enjoyment in life
• Feeling restless and agitated
• Losing self-confidence
• Feeling useless, inadequate and hopeless
• Feeling more irritable than usual
• Thoughts of suicide or self-harm
• Feeling guilty about things
• Feeling that relatively small tasks are overwhelming

Physical:

• Loss of appetite and weight
• Difficulty in getting to sleep
• Waking earlier than usual
• Feeling utterly tired
• Constipation
• Loss of sex drive

Behaviour and Thinking:

• Difficulty in starting or completing things – even everyday chores
• Crying a lot – or feeling like you want to cry, but not being able to
• Avoiding contact with other people
• Can't think positively or hopefully
• Finding it hard to make even simple decisions
• Difficulty in concentrating
• Slow thinking

High or 'Manic' stage

Mental:

• Very happy and excited
• Irritated with other people who don't share your optimistic outlook
• Feeling more important than usual
• Not able to concentrate but believing that you can

Physical:

• Full of energy
• Unable or unwilling to sleep
• Hightened sex drive

Behaviour and Thinking

• Full of new and exciting ideas
• Moving quickly from one idea to another
• Hearing voices that other people can't hear
• Making plans that are grandiose and unrealistic
• Very active, moving around very quickly
• Behaving unusually
• Talking very quickly - other people may find it hard to understand what you are talking about
• Making odd decisions on the spur of the moment, sometimes with disastrous consequences
• Recklessly spending money
• Over-familiar or recklessly critical with other people
• Less inhibited in general, sometimes sexually

Mixed stage

Not surprisingly, this is a mixture of the other two stages but all mixed into the same time period. Usually irritability and frustration can be very bad.

It is important that you don't self-diagnose yourself, even if you are experiencing a lot of these symptoms you might not have bipolar disorder, it may still be something else.

The fact that you have recognised you may have a problem is a very positive step forward. Have a chat with your doctor about how you're feeling, what you're thinking and any troubles you may have. This might sound like a massively scary thing to do, but please remember your doctor is there to help, it's all confidential and they won't judge you at all, they will have met a lot of people that are going through what you are – all they will do is help you out.

In the meantime you may want to Chat to a Buddy, or check out our Treatments and Self Help sections, try to take little steps everyday to make yourself feel better.