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What is Bipolar Disorder? Bipolar disorder is defined as “an affective disorder characterized by extreme changes in mood ranging from mania to depression” (Seroquel - Glossary). A person with Bipolar disorder has mood swings that range from excessive highs (mania) to deep worthlessness (depression), with periods of normal behavior in between. Mania is “a mood characterized by an unstable expansive emotional state, extreme excitement, excessive elation, hyperactivity, agitation, overtalkativeness, flight of ideas, increased psychomotor activity, fleeting attention, and sometimes violent, destructive, and self-destructive behavior” (Mosby). Depression, on the other hand, is “characterized by feelings of sadness, melancholy, dejection, worthlessness, emptiness, and hopelessness that are inappropriate and out of proportion to reality” (Mosby). It is not unusual for the periods of normality to last longer than the mania or the depression. Symptoms and signs of mania include periods of: · Increased energy, activity, restlessness, racing thoughts, and rapid talking · Excessive "high" or euphoric feelings · Extreme irritability and distractibility · Decreased need for sleep · Unrealistic beliefs in one's abil