ummm... i know quite a lot. my mother is bipolar... but it really depends what kind of things you want to know... and i'm probabaly not the best source...
Well there are a couple different types of bipolar. It used to be called manic-depressive because the individual usually goes from a very manic state to deep depression. You can read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar
Being that bipolar disorder is a very serious mental illness a doctor must diagnose you with it. Do not try to self-diagnose as it's rarely very accurate. Also, I think you would have noticed if you had bipolar disorder by now. The moods are very extreme.
Also, if you think you might be bipolar, or think you have any serious mental condition, it's always better to see a specialist (psychiatrist) than a general practitioner. The worst would be to get misdiagnosed. Not saying that regular doctors don't generally get things right... but seeing a specialist really narrows things down a lot.
I was once diagnosed with it, but it was an accident. I think I'm just naturally crazy. My psychiatrist actually perscribed me medicine for it, but I ended up not taking it, and I'm just fine. From what I understand, it's different states of mania and depression, due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. The state of mania include insomnia, anxiety and panic attacks. It's basically where your mind is restless, and you have a different perception on how the world is moving. Like you're going slow and the world around you is going faster. And you tend to develop phobias that aren't there if you aren't in a state of mania. Depression is like, feeling helpless, emotional, breaking down at random moments, lack of care for many important things. Letting go, basically. Idk. I haven't seen that psychiatrist since like, mid-8th grade; so I forgot most of the stuff he told me. This is what I remember, or like, my thoughts on it. So if I'm wrong, forgive me.
hey. I just wanted to mention a quick thing. I thought I was like bi polar because me and my best friend got in a lot of fights and I seemed to have a lot of ups and downs. I don't have it and I don't think you do either because I talked to some close friends I know that are ga and even have seen television shows on how many gay people act such as the tv show True Life. It turns out that many gay people have ups and downs in teen years because I guess were sort of changing and a lot of stuff is going on. All my friends that I know that are gay share the same trait and get in arguments and fights with their friends and get depressed and sad easily. This year for me has been great thoug and I love it because last year was kinda hard for me. Anyways good luck!
i would advise caution against self-diagonosis. everybody gets "ups" and "downs"... it takes a special kind of up/down to be bipolar. i mean... when my mum's down, she can't get up in the morning, she sits crying all day, it's like my dad has died or something. and when she's high, she does the wierdest things... she writes love letters to happily married neighbours... she sets other people's living rooms on fire (no kidding)... she claims to have found the true cross... you get the picture. just getting a bit high or a bit low does not necessarily make you bipolar.
I would also caution against self-diagnosis. Go get yourself diagnosed if you suspect the worst. For all you know, it might not be bipolar at all, or it could be another mood disorder completely (or it could be nothing!). I'll refer you to something I posted on my blog (half written in tongue-in-cheek form): Mood Disorders Q&A
Yeah, bipolar is not just your normal ups and downs. There are specific criteria you have to meet. Believe me, I've thought I was bipolar before.... especially in my late teens and early twenties. But in reality, I wasn't. You have to be depressed/manic for a certain length of time and have so many episodes in a year.
Here are a few links worth noting, which I've blogged about just now: The Associated Press: Home Bipolar Disorder Test Causes Stirs ABC News: The Cost Of Creativity: Bipolar Disorder & the Stars The View: Dealing with bipolar disorder is a constant battle
One very important fact to know is that true bipolar disorder (also called manic-depression) is not very common in children and teenagers. It is normal for teenagers to have mood swings. Bipolar disorder is very different from mood swings- it is much more extreme. If I recall, only 10-15% of teenagers who have depression will develop a bipolar disorder as they get older. In other words, many teens become depressed but only 1 in 10 is actually going to be bipolar when they become adults.