A person who has bipolar disorder swings between two extreme emotional poles- depression and mania. During the depression phase, the person will have the same symptoms as people with severe depression (AMA, 1998). Although the shifts of mood have nothing to do with daily activities, the symptoms may prevent the person from functioning normally. However, the All About Bipolar Disorder webpage (1995-2000), says that "increased stress and inadequate coping mechanisms to deal with that stress may also contribute to the disorder's manifestation." The cycles of mood shifts vary greatly in frequency and length. Some people may have several bouts of mania or depression in a row, some have them simultaneously and some have mania without depression (AMA, 1

998). In some cases people never experience euphoria during mania, but go directly to a dysphoric state where their energy is boosted so they feel pressured in an uncomfortable state of mind. In other cases bipolar can have a triphasic!

characteristic, where there is a brief period of depression, then a sudden swing into mania, then depression will set in again for a few weeks (Mondimore, 1995). Some may have mixed mood states. "In mixed mood states (also referred to as dysphoric mania) pronounced symptoms of both depression and mania either co-exist or alternate during different periods of the day." (Daly, p.1157, 1997). However, typical bipolar patients alternate mania and depression with euthymania (normal mood) in between the two (Gorman, 1998).

Although all mania has the same characteristics and symptoms, there is also hypomania. This is the same, yet not nearly as severely impulsive. A person who experiences mania and sever depression have Bipolar I, whereas those who have depression and hypomania have Bipolar II (Gorman, 1998). "Hypomania does not involve losing touch with reality or cause as much disruption in your life." (Dewan, 1999). When a doctor is determining if someone has bipolar depression, they look for very specific patterns of symptoms of mania and depression, for doctors do not fully understand the cause (AMA, 1998). However, according to the All About Bipolar Disorder webpage (1995-2000), doctors do know fam

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