What is it?

Bipolar Disorder is thought to be an inherited disorder.  It can be exacerbated by hormones, stress, and age.  The spectrum of bipolar disorder ranges from mild to severe hypomanic/manic symptoms and depression.  The following description was taken from WebMD:

If you have three or more of the mania symptoms below most of the day -- nearly every day -- for one week or longer, you may be having a manic episode of bipolar disorder:

• Excessive happiness, hopefulness, and excitement
• Sudden changes from being joyful to being irritable, angry, and hostile
• Restlessness, increased energy, and less need for sleep
• Rapid talk, talkativeness
• Distractibility
• Racing thoughts
• High sex drive
• Tendency to make grand and unattainable plans
• Tendency to show poor judgment, such as deciding to quit a job
• Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity -- unrealistic beliefs in one's ability, intelligence, and powers; may be delusional
• Increased reckless behaviors (such as lavish spending sprees, impulsive sexual indiscretions, abuse of alcohol or drugs, or ill-advised business decisions)

What can you do about it?  

By learning how to identify your triggers, pace yourself and finding the right medication(s), you can learn how to manage your illness. A large portion of the clients I see have Bipolar Disorder.  So many of those clients have identified themselves for years by their behaviors.  Once they learn the difference between the symptoms caused by biology vs. behavior, they often feel empowered because they realize they have more control than they thought.  If you have questions about bipolar disorder, or would like help managing your illness, I can help!
For more FAQs about Bipolar Disorder, visit WebMD http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/frequently-asked-questions-about-bipolar-disorder