Types of Bipolar Mixed Mood Stages

Bipolar disorder is a lifelong mood disorder that is also called Manic Depression and is characterized by extreme highs (mania) and extreme lows (depression). Someone with this disorder can also experience mixed moods. A mixed mood is an episode that meets the criteria for both mania and depression.

Criteria and Time Frame

• A mixed mood has evidence of both mania and depression and usually lasts for at least one week.

Symptoms of a Mixed Mood

• Someone who is experiencing a mixed mood can experience symptoms of depression while also feeling energized and jumpy.

Bipolar I Disorder

• Bipolar I is when manic or mixed episodes are more frequent than depression and each episode usually lasts around two weeks.

Bipolar II Disorder

• Bipolar II is primarily depressive episodes with occasional mild manic episodes, also called hypomania.

Cyclothymic Disorder or Cyclothymia,

• Cyclothymic disorder is a mild version of bipolar disorder in which the mood episodes are milder than Bipolar I or II.

Rapid-Cycling Bipolar Disorder

• To be diagnosed as rapid-cycling, someone must have more than four episodes in one year. Some patients have more than one episode in one week or even in one day.