Mood Swings

• Bipolar is defined by huge changes in mood or energy. A bipolar person can be manic, or have high energy; hypomanic, or somewhat high energy; or depressed, having low energy. His mood will change for seemingly no reason.
  
  

Changes in Eating

• When manic, a bipolar person will usually eat less food, if at all. A depressed person will either eat too much or too little.
  
  

Changes in Sleep

• A manic person will not need to sleep much because of her high energy rate. She may stay awake for several days without tiring. A depressed person may sleep all day, every day while depressed, or have insomnia but still not want to get out of bed.
  
  

Changes in Attitude

• A bipolar person might have rapidly changing points of view about things. She may be excited about a trip she is about to take, then a short time later, be wary and not want to go. This is just an example of the way her attitude changes.
  
  

Diagnosis

• Only a doctor can diagnose bipolar disorder, usually a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist will do a thorough mental examination, ask a patient questions about his mood and habits to determine if he is bipolar.
  
  

Types of Bipolar

• Bipolar disorder mainly comes in two types. Bipolar Type I is characterized by having both mania and depression present. Bipolar Type II includes hypomania instead of mania and cycles with depression. Another type of bipolar diagnosis is schizoaffective disorder. This is a mixture of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and is more rare than bipolar or schizophrenia.