 Hi, have you seen a person with extreme mood swings and also sometimes being very sad? You heard me right, when you look at these two things together in a same person, we are looking at something called as the bipolar disorder. Let us now look into the 10 points about bipolar disorder. Number one, it is characterized by extreme mood swings and also a phase of low mood. That is, it involves mania as well as depression. Point number two, what do we mean by mania? Mania essentially involves unusually being happy and also sometimes they have no need to sleep. They have increased energy levels as well as some risky behaviors also. Number three, when we talk about depression, what we mean by depression is that unusually being sad for a longer period of time than we can usually expect. Also that sadness cannot be cheered up. They might have difficulties in sleep and appetite as well as guess what, they will be unusually tired as well and not being interested to talk to a lot of people. Sometimes suicidal thoughts as well. Number four, there are different types of bipolar disorders. Bipolar one and bipolar two. Bipolar one is characterized by intense manic episodes wherein the individual will be really active or overly active as well as as I told you earlier, highly in an unusual elated mood or euphoric mood and they'll be decreased need for sleep. Such episodes are more pronounced as part of bipolar one whereas bipolar two is characterized by less intense manic episodes rather we call it as hypomania and also more pronounced depressive episodes wherein the individual will be most often sad and as I told you the sadness is something of a quality where they will not be in a position to be cheered up so easily. And the other symptoms of depressive episode or symptoms that I pointed out earlier. Then the next point or the fifth point is impact on daily functioning or impact on life. This particular condition really affects once daily functioning their relationships work life as well as the overall quality of life which needs to be taken seriously and therefore requires help. The sixth point is that treatment options. Treatment options for bipolar disorder usually involves a combination of medication, psychotherapy as well as lifestyle changes in order to manage the symptoms of this particular condition. Consult a psychiatrist for medications and for the other symptoms to be managed consult a clinical psychologist. Point number seven triggers and stressors. Do note that a lot of triggers and stressors can influence the frequency and the intensity of the mood swings in people with bipolar disorder. Point number eight building a strong support network. For people with bipolar disorder it is very crucial and essential to build a strong support network of family friends and healthcare professionals involved. Point number nine stigma surrounding this condition. As you all know stigma generally around mental health itself can be a challenging issue which can also be a problem for people with bipolar disorders to seek help. Therefore raising awareness is very crucial in managing and helping this disorder. Also when I say stigma it also involves awareness. What do you mean by awareness? Awareness means this disorder can be confused with some other disorders which can have very similar symptoms such as borderline personality disorder for example. So therefore do consider consulting a professional or a mental health professional in order for you to know what it is and then get the right help. Point number ten self-care and coping strategies. It is important to develop self-care routine practicing stress reduction techniques and also developing some coping strategies for individuals who are suffering with bipolar disorders.