Bipolar Disorder Medical Reference

Learn more about how bipolar disorder and treatment affect you over time.

The medications you take for bipolar disorder can sometimes lead to weight gain. Learn how to manage this side effect.

Find out how bipolar disorder and certain medications used to treat it can affect your sex life.

Some people with bipolar disorder have symptoms of depression and mania at the same time. That's called dysphoric mania. Learn what it looks like, and what to do when you have it.

Medication and psychotherapy are often the first treatments for bipolar disorder. But yoga, diet, exercise, and other alternative therapies may ease your symptoms of depression and even mania.

The earliest known mention of bipolar disorder as a mental illness dates back to Hippocrates and Plato, who documented extreme moods such as depression and mania. WebMD explains how our understanding of the mood disorder has changed through the centuries.

Find out how to recognize the warning signs of manic episodes and what to do to prevent and manage them.

If you have bipolar disorder, you may sometimes find it hard to read other people’s faces and to connect with them. Here’s what you should know about how this mental illness can affect empathy.

The signs of bipolar disorder are pretty clear, but they can be easily confused with other conditions. See if you match up to any of these traits.

If you have bipolar disorder, it's important to be clear-eyed about what the disease is and how it affects you. Learn how to separate fact from fiction for an illness that's often shrouded in myth.

Low periods are part of bipolar disorder. Learn how to recognize depression and how to get through it.

Bipolar disorder and depression might seem similar, but there are important differences. Find out how to sort it out and stay healthy.

It's not unusual for your mood to go from low to high -- unless the changes are extreme. Find out what might be causing your ups and downs and what you can do.

Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia can sometimes be hard to tell apart. Learn the symptoms, causes, and treatments of each to see how they're different.

WebMD describes the unique concerns for women with bipolar disorder, including treatment of bipolar disorder during pregnancy.

Getting adequate sleep if you have bipolar disorder can be challenging. WebMD offers tips to help you get the rest you need.

WebMD explains the bipolar spectrum, what it means, and how bipolar is categorized.

WebMD explains the current thinking about bipolar disorder and pregnancy and the effect of medications on your and your baby's health.

Living with bipolar disorder? Share your tips on coping with heightened feelings of well-being and depression, as well as common medication and treatment options.

The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance web site provides timely information on depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, and explains how doctors screen for these conditions.

WebMD explains the risks and possible benefits of using dietary supplements for bipolar disorder.

Learn more from the experts at WebMD about current drug and nondrug treatment options for bipolar disorder.

Self-injuring can be a symptom of bipolar disorder. WebMD explains the connection.

Are you at risk for bipolar disorder? Learn more from the experts at WebMD about the roles genetics and environment play in developing this mental illness.

If you have bipolar disorder, some herbs and supplements may interact with your bipolar medication. WebMD explains.

If you have bipolar disorder, you can learn to manage it on the job and keep up your work performance with these helpful tips.

WebMD examines the foods that can help or create obstacles for people with bipolar disorder.

Get the basics about bipolar disorder -- including causes, diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment -- from the experts at WebMD.

WebMD explains the symptoms, treatments, and risks associated with mixed bipolar disorder.

WebMD explains the symptoms, treatments, and risks associated with rapid cycling bipolar disorder.

WebMD explains cyclothymia, also called cyclothymic disorder, and how it differs from bipolar disorder. Plus, treatments, symptoms, and complications of living with cylothymia.

WebMD explains bipolar II disorder -- also known as manic depression. Plus, symptoms, treatments, and how bipolar II is different from other types of bipolar disorder.

WebMD examines the less common signs and red flags that may signify bipolar disorder, why bipolar can be so hard to diagnose, along with symptoms and signs of bipolar in teenagers.

WebMD explains the symptoms and treatments of bipolar I disorder, and how the condition differs from other types of bipolar disorder.

WebMD offers 10 questions to ask your doctor if you've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Learn more from WebMD about various drug and nondrug treatments for mania in people who suffer from bipolar disorder.

People with bipolar disorder are at a greater risk of suicide. Learn about the warning signs.

Learn more from WebMD about talk therapy and medication for the treatment of bipolar disorder.

Many people with bipolar disorder require maintenance therapy. Learn more about the drugs that are used to prevent mania and depression.

Learn some steps you can take to prevent suicide if you have bipolar disorder.

Get information about bipolar disorder in children and teens.

Having a loved one with bipolar disorder affects your life, too. Learn how to care for both of you.

Learn about medications commonly used for bipolar disorder, how they work and possible side effects.

Learn more from the experts at WebMD about new antipsychotic medications (and older ones) that are effective in treating bipolar disorder.

If you or a loved one has bipolar disorder, learn more from the experts at WebMD about identifying the triggers that may lead to disruptive mood swings.

Tips and advice on talking to friends and family about your bipolar disorder.