Types of Bipolar Disorder

The four major types of Bipolar Disorder are Bipolar type ii, Bipolar type i,, Cyclothymic Disorder and Bipolar NOS .

The categories of the DSM may be faulty in many ways but they are useful in to help us conceptualize the illness. There is overlap between Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar I , Bipolar II, and other disorders. Many individuals who are diagnosed with depression are later diagnosed as suffering from Bipolar Disorder. The categories are really just ways to think about grouping people with different types of bipolar disorder or mood disorders.

If you have one of these diagnoses and are wondering what it means, or your child’s paperwork reflects they do, I hope the information below helps you decipher these categories.

Usually children do not receive these diagnoses unless they are older or actually meet the criteria. More often than not they will have a Bipolar Disorder NOS, or a Mood Disorder NOS diagnosis.

Bipolar type ii

Bipolar type ii consists of one major depressive episode and at least one hypomanic episode . A person cannot be diagnosed with Bipolar type ii disorder if they have had a manic or mixed episode. Essentially, Bipolar II disorder consists of below the threshold mania, or, hypomania as opposed to mania is not as disruptive to a person's functioning.

Bipolar II = Major Depressive Episode + Hypomania

Bipolar type i

Bipolar I on the other hand consists of one or more manic or mixed episodes. Technically no depressive episode must be present but it almost always is.

Bipolar I =Full Manic Episode or Mixed Episode

In classifying the diagnoses of BPD, Doctors have the option to be more detailed by adding certain bits of descriptive information.

They will describe the most recent episode as (manic, hypomanic, mixed or depressed).

They may further clarify the diagnosis by describing whether there are:

• psychotic features

• no psychotic features

• catatonic features

or a

• postpartum onset

They may describe it even further by specifying rapid cycling, with a seasonal pattern, or describing the periods of recovery between the episodes.

Cycling can be conceptualized as below:

Rapid cycling= 4 episodes a year

Ultra rapid cycling =5 episodes and up

Ultradian cycling= 365 days a year( daily cycling)

Cyclothymia

Cyclothymia is a mood disorder that consists of two years of episodes of hypo mania and low grade depression. To be diagnosed with cyclothymia, you cannot have had a major depressive, mixed or manic episode during the first two year period of time. Later if you have periods of mania or major depression you can be diagnosed with both Cyclothymia and Bipolar I or Bipolar II.

These symptoms must cause impairment and distress and cannot be due to a medical condition or medication or substance abuse.

Bipolar NOS

Generally this is diagnosed when the mood disorder meets none of the criteria of the other types of bipolar disorder.