International Bipolar Foundation

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About Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this illness can lead full and productive lives.

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Our mission is to improve understanding and treatment of bipolar disorder through research; to promote care and support resources for individuals and caregivers; and to erase stigma through education.

Activity

International Bipolar Foundation has answered a question
On Jun 19

How can I manage pregnancy with bipolar disorder?

You must work closely with your psychiatrist and obstetrician. This risk of injury to the fetus due to medications must be weighed against the risk of a relapse in the illness. Tough judgment calls...
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International Bipolar Foundation has answered a question
On Jun 03

What are the different types of bipolar disorder?

There are currently four types of bipolar disorder defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) IV. There is strong genetic evidence that these are artificial distinct...
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International Bipolar Foundation has answered a question
On Jun 03

How can I help my young child with bipolar disorder?

Here are some ways you can help your child with bipolar disorder: learn relaxation techniques to help your child cope with stress; ask your child's doctor for guidance and resources researc...
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International Bipolar Foundation has answered a question
On Jun 03

What are the symptoms of bipolar disorder?

Below, you'll find a list of typical behaviors exhibited by those with bipolar disorder. If you have been exceptionally excited or active for a week at a time and check three of the symptoms be...
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International Bipolar Foundation has answered a question
On Jun 03

What are the different types of bipolar disorder?

The classic form of the illness, which involves recurrent episodes of mania and depression, is called bipolar I disorder. Some people, however, never develop severe mania but instead experience mil...
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International Bipolar Foundation has answered a question
On Jun 03

Does bipolar disorder run in families?

Bipolar disorder is understood as a genetically determined disorder of the brain that results in an alteration in one's thoughts, feelings and behaviors that are not readily controlled by an in...
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International Bipolar Foundation has answered a question
On Feb 15

What are the health effects of smoking a hookah pipe?

The health effects of smoking a hookah pipe include increased risk for lung, mouth and bladder cancer. Hookah use is also linked to other unique risks not found with cigarette smoking. For example,...
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International Bipolar Foundation has answered a question
On Feb 15

What are the types of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) comes in three subcategories: inattentive type, hyperactive impulsive type and combined type. As counterintuitive as it is to have "Attention De...
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International Bipolar Foundation has answered a question
On Jan 24

What are the needs of families coping with mental illness?

The needs of families coping with mental illness are documented in the book, Families and Mental Illness: New Directions in Professional Practice. The needs fall into eight categories: A compreh...
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International Bipolar Foundation has answered a question
On Oct 22

What makes depression different from the blues?

Everyone has blue moods once in a while. They result from life-changing events. Losses must be grieved. Disappointments endured. No one escapes this kind of sorrow. If your underlying mood and self...
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International Bipolar Foundation has answered a question
On Oct 16

How do other illnesses affect depression?

Serious illness such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer sends some into depression. First the medications required can cause hormonal changes that effect mood. If the disease prevents you from ea...
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International Bipolar Foundation has answered a question
On Oct 11, 2018

Is bipolar depression serious?

Bipolar depression is not always debilitating. We see a wide range of acuity with bipolar depression. Some depressive states may be mild whereas others can be acute. And for those with bipolar diso...
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International Bipolar Foundation has answered a question
On Oct 11, 2018

What is chronic depression?

Starting at the most mild end of the spectrum, chronic depression, or dysthymia, generally emerges as a low mood that depresses an individual’s frame of mind over a consistent and extended pe...
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International Bipolar Foundation has answered a question
On Oct 10, 2018

What is situational depression?

A death, natural disaster or other traumatic event can send anyone—adult, teen, child—into such a spiral of despair, the brain cannot work its way out again. Studies show that 40 percen...
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International Bipolar Foundation has answered a question
On Oct 10, 2018

Can bipolar depression be prevented?

Bipolar disorder can't be prevented, but deep brain stimulation can help treat the disorder. In deep brain stimulation, microelectrodes are inserted into a very specific nest of cells in the br...
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International Bipolar Foundation

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About Bipolar Disorder

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