Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic-depressive illness, is a mood disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person’s mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, and ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. The mood shifts in bipolar disorder are different from normal ups and downs — they include periods of extremely “up,” elated, irritable, or energized behavior (known as manic episodes) and very “down,” sad, indifferent, or hopeless periods (known as depressive episodes). Learn more about bipolar disorder.