Bipolar disorder involves alternating periods of feeling low (depressed) and high (mania). This disorder, which was formerly known as manic depression, can cause a significant amount of distress in the lives of those people affected by it.
It is natural for most people to experience a range of moods depending on what’s happening in their lives. Positive events, like getting a new job, going on a holiday or falling in love, often cause people to feel happy. Conversely, difficult circumstances like losing a job or a loved one, or having financial, legal or family problems, tend to make a person feel down.
However, people with Bipolar disorder often feel that they are at the mercy of their intense mood swings, which may or may not be related to what is going on in their lives. The same person who had the energy to redecorate their entire house in a weekend, may find it difficult to get out of bed on Monday morning.