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Categories of People with Bipolar Disorder

People who have bipolar disorder fall into one of four categories in regards to their illness. These categories determine the severity of their symptoms and can sometimes influence their behavior. In addition, there are two categories of attitudes people can have about their disorder. Understanding these categories can help you better understand bipolar disorder whether you or a loved one have been diagnosed with it.

  1. Bipolar I

    • Those with bipolar I disorder have a more severe form of the illness. Their mania lasts at least seven days and their depression up to two weeks. It's not uncommon for those with this type to be hospitalized several times throughout their lifetime. Medication is also necessary to treat this type. If you have bipolar type I, you may only have one episode a year and your episodes may fluctuate with the seasons.

    Bipolar II

    • People suffering from bipolar II disorder have a less intense form of the disease. These people will still suffer from severe depression, but they won't experience manic symptoms. Instead, they will experience periods of hypomania, which is a milder form of mania that doesn't ever lead to hospitalization. If you have bipolar II, you may or may not need medication, depending on your psychiatrist's evaluation. Like with bipolar I disorder, you may find that your episodes occur with the changing season.

    Bipolar III

    • Bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (BP-NOS), also known as bipolar III, describes the third category of people with bipolar disorder. This diagnosis is given when the person's symptoms are similar to bipolar disorder but don't match exactly. This form may be even milder than bipolar II, with less symptoms and shorter periods of illness. People with bipolar III disorder can even have symptoms that aren't normally associated with bipolar disorder, making a diagnosis difficult.

    Cyclothmia

    • People with cyclothymia, also known as cyclothymic disorder, have a milder form of bipolar disorder that may grow to be more intense over time. Fluctuations between depression and hypomania must occur for at least two years for a diagnosis of cyclothymia to be made. The depression of people with cyclothymia is very mild, and they only experience symptoms of hypomania, not mania. Although this disorder may not require medication in some cases, it is important to visit a psychiatrist regularly in case your bipolar disorder does begin to worsen.

    Attitude

    • In his book "The Up and Down Life," Paul Jones discusses the two attitudes people with bipolar disorder have. The first type can be called blamers. Every time these people do something wrong, they blame the illness and don't take responsibility for their actions. Instead of trying to work harder to improve themselves, they use their illness as a shield to deflect blame for bad behavior. The other type is accepters. These people recognize that they will make mistakes because of their illness, but ultimately they are still responsible. These people work hard to become stable so they can prevent future episodes.

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