Bipolar is a mental illness, currently included in the DSM-IV, and the main thing it affects is mood. It is known for its range of depressive and manic episodes, like a continuum of highs and lows, or roller coasters or moods. There are two different categories of bipolar disorder: bipolar I, also known as manic depression, and bipolar II. It is an extremely common mental illness. According to WebMD, approximately 6 million people in the United States suffer from bipolar disorder, about 2.5%. With numbers this high, it's likely that we've all met someone with bipolar disorder and maybe didn't even know it. Bipolar does not discriminate against anyone, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual preference, weight, height, or socioeconomic status. Many people with this disease live normal lives between episodes. Despite the fact, according to Calabrese, Macritchie and Young (2000) "bipolar affective disorder is a common condition that, among mental illnesses, is second only to unipolar depression as a cause of disability worldwide". disorder: mania, hypomania, depression, and mixed episodes (Smith, Segal, & Segal, 2010). While in the depressive phase of this disorder, you may feel like you need to sleep more than normal and probably look like a "Debbie Downer" to everyone else. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the manic phase will show a decreased need for sleep; the person may now seem more outgoing and friendly, more fun to be around, more like "the life of the party". Mania can also lead to hallucinations and delusions, and the individual may lose control. Someone who has manic episodes hardly seems to have a problem. If I'm in... middle of the paper... Number=4Smith, M., Segal, J., & Segal, R. (2010). “Understanding Bipolar Disorder.” Retrieved from Helpguide.org: http://helpguide.org/mental/bipolar_disorder_symptoms_treatment.htm#authorsSoreff, S. (2011) “Bipolar Affective Disorder.” Retrieved from Medscape Reference: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/286342-overview#showallTaylor, J. “Children Bipolar.” Retrieved from Bipolar Symptoms: Helpful Information Articles: http://www.bipolarsymptoms.org/Types/children-disorder.htmlToday's Caregiver. “Bipolar: A Brief History of Bipolar Disorder.” Retrieved from Caregiver.com:http://www.caregiver.com/channels/bipolar/articles/brief_history.htmVaknin, S. (2006) “Misdiagnosing Bipolar: Bipolar disorder is often misdiagnosed as a personality disorder.” Retrieved from suite101.com: http://www.suite101.com/content/misdiagnosing-bipolar-a10165