Different Kinds of Bipolar Disorder

Symptoms of bipolar disorder can range from mild to severe. Diagnosis of this condition can be done by a mental health professional who will do an interview with the patient to determine if the patient has bipolar disorder and if so what type. Different kinds of bipolar disorder are diagnosed according to the severity and chronicity of the symptoms including how slow or fast moods may be cycling.

Mood Episodes

• Disturbance of mood is central to the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. The two major mood episodes that are classified as part of bipolar disorders are manic and major depressive episodes. The kind of bipolar disorder a patient has will be dependent on what type of mood episodes can be diagnosed as part of the condition.

Bipolar I Disorder

• Diagnosing bipolar disorder, type I includes looking at a history of mood episodes and determining if there is an occurrence of at least one or more manic mood episodes. A person with bipolar I disorder may or may not have experience with an episode of major depression.

Bipolar II Disorder

• Diagnosing bipolar disorder, type II includes the occurrence of one or more major depressive episodes and some symptoms of hypomania. Hypomanic symptoms are similar to manic symptoms but are less severe.

Cyclothymia

• Diagnosing cyclothymia includes the consideration of a long, chronic history of rapid cycling moods between depressive symptoms and hypomanic symptoms. These symptoms do not quite reach the severity of a major depressive or manic mood episode.

Bipolar Disorder NOS

• Diagnosing bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (NOS) would include a thorough history of mood episodes and presenting symptoms. Patients who do not meet criteria for cyclothymia or bipolar I or II may fit into this category.