There are two commonly diagnosed types of bipolar disorder, a mental illness characterized by mood swings from emotional highs to lows. People with bipolar I have depression alternating with severely elevated mood, or mania. Bipolar II is much more common, and is marked by less severe manic symptoms, called hypomania. Since the characteristics of bipolar disorder exist along a spectrum ranging from non-existent to extreme, and because good or bad moods can be a result of temporary events or circumstances rather than a mental illness, diagnosis of bipolar disorder can be difficult. These signs will reveal if you’re going through a phase or revealing bipolar symptoms. (Plus, check out this Google test that can help diagnose mental illness.)
