What Is Bipolar II Disorder?
Bipolar II is one of the three types of bipolar disorder, formally known as manic depression. Bipolar II disorder is characterized by episodes of depression and hypomania.
The symptoms of hypomania are feelings of euphoria, irritability, higher than usual sex drive, insomnia, and difficulty concentrating. An episode of hypomania is a milder form of a manic episode.
Bipolar II causes episodes of depression. The common symptoms of depression include suicidal thoughts, feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, insomnia or hypersomnia, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and a lower sex drive than usual.
Depression can cause hallucination and delusions related to the depressed feelings. Homicidal thoughts can develop if the person has a delusion that the world is entirely bad or painful and they need to kill a loved one to save them from the pain.
Studies have shown that bipolar disorder is at least partially hereditary. Having a family history of depression, bipolar I, or bipolar II makes the person have a greater risk of developing bipolar disorder.
There is no cure for bipolar II disorder. People with bipolar II can struggle to cope with episodes of the illness. If severe, symptoms of bipolar disorder can interfere with the persons ability to function.
Though most people with bipolar II disorder lead normal lives, the symptoms can cause problems with employment and interpersonal relationships. If the problems persist despite treatment, they may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits.
Bipolar II is typically treated with both therapeutic treatment and medication. The typical medications used are a mood stabilizer like Lithium or Depakote, and an antidepressant. Care must be taken to not take too much of an antidepressant or it could cause a manic episode.
If a person diagnosed with bipolar II has a manic episode, the diagnosis is typically changed to bipolar I. If an antidepressant causes hypomanic symptoms, the person may be considered as having bipolar III. The diagnosis of bipolar III is not one of the official diagnoses in the DSM IV.
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