Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Bipolar Disorder?How Bipolar Disorder Is Different For WomenHow Are Bipolar Disorder Symptoms Different in Women?Bipolar Disorder Treatments in Women
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Bipolar Disorder?
How Bipolar Disorder Is Different For Women
How Are Bipolar Disorder Symptoms Different in Women?
Bipolar Disorder Treatments in Women
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Are There Different Types of Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder—sometimes referred to asmanic depression—causes profound mood swings. People with the disorder usually swing between manic episodes and depressive episodes, though some people experience mixed episodes of both mania and depression.
These mood swings can cause changes in behavior, and a decreased ability to cope with life, and can impact interpersonal relationships. Bipolar disorder can also cause a person to make irrational decisions and exhibit impetuous behavior. The depressive phase of bipolar disorder puts a person at increased risk of suicide.
The precise causes of bipolar disorder are unknown and may vary from person to person. Genetics may be at play, brain, and chemical differences may also be a factor, and environmental triggers may contribute.
Why Did Manic Depression Become Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder affects between 3.7% to 6.4% of the population, but it seems to affect men and women in equal amounts.However, the way that it affects women has some specific characteristics:
How Long Do Manic and Depressive Episodes Last?
Hypomaniais a more high-functioning form of mania, and has symptoms such as:
Women who experience bipolar disorder are more likely to experience “mixed” episodes that have aspects of both mania/hypomania and depression. They are also more likely to experience “rapid cycling,” which means having four or more different episodes in one year.
Women Are At a High Risk of Depressive Episodes & Suicide
Perhaps the most concerning aspect of bipolar disorder symptoms in women is the fact that depressive episodes of bipolar disorder are more prominent in women than in men. Depressive episodes often dominate over manic episodes in women. In fact, women with bipolar disorder are often misdiagnosed as having major depression.
This is one of many reasons why bipolar disorder needs to be taken seriously in women and needs to be properly diagnosed.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
The Reproductive Cycle Impacts Symptoms
The hormones associated with women’s reproductive cycles don’t cause bipolar disorder, but they can exacerbate symptoms. For example:
Comorbidities
There are certain comorbidities that are more common in women than men when it comes to bipolar disorder. For example, women with bipolar disorder are more likely to experience:
Understanding Mania and Manic Episodes
Bipolar disorder is serious, but it can be treated. With treatment, there is hope for living a full and healthy life. The treatments used to treat bipolar disorder are similar for both men and women, and usually involve a combination of therapy, medication, andlifestyle changes.
Bipolar disorder is frequently misdiagnosed, and women are more likely to receive a diagnosis of depression before they are properly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. So it’s important to seek further evaluations if your symptoms involve symptoms of both mania and depression and you don’t seem to be getting better with traditional treatment for depression.
That’s why it’s important to work with a medical provider who understands the necessity for you to be properly treated, even during pregnancy and lactation, and to work with you to make a risk/benefit analysis when it comes to prescribing medications to treat your symptoms.
Bipolar Depression Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
A Word From Verywell
Women experience bipolar disorder just as frequently as men, but because some of their symptoms may be more subtle, and because they are more likely to experiencedepressionthan mania, it can be more difficult for women to get a proper diagnosis.
If you are a woman experiencing symptoms of bipolar disorder, it can be helpful to understand the distinctive ways that symptoms may present, so that you can seek the proper diagnosis and care that you need and deserve.
Quiz for Bipolar Hypomania Episodes
5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Library of Medicine.Bipolar Disorder.Sit D.Women and bipolar disorder across the life span. Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association. 2004;59(2):91-100.Parial S.Bipolar disorder in women. Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 2015;57(Suppl 2):S252-S263. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.161488Cleveland Clinic.Bipolar Disorder.Cleveland Clinic.Hypomania.
5 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Library of Medicine.Bipolar Disorder.Sit D.Women and bipolar disorder across the life span. Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association. 2004;59(2):91-100.Parial S.Bipolar disorder in women. Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 2015;57(Suppl 2):S252-S263. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.161488Cleveland Clinic.Bipolar Disorder.Cleveland Clinic.Hypomania.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Library of Medicine.Bipolar Disorder.Sit D.Women and bipolar disorder across the life span. Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association. 2004;59(2):91-100.Parial S.Bipolar disorder in women. Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 2015;57(Suppl 2):S252-S263. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.161488Cleveland Clinic.Bipolar Disorder.Cleveland Clinic.Hypomania.
National Library of Medicine.Bipolar Disorder.
Sit D.Women and bipolar disorder across the life span. Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association. 2004;59(2):91-100.
Parial S.Bipolar disorder in women. Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 2015;57(Suppl 2):S252-S263. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.161488
Cleveland Clinic.Bipolar Disorder.
Cleveland Clinic.Hypomania.
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