The way that bipolar disorder can present can vary tremendously between individuals. One person might go from very high highs that last seven days or more to very low lows, bouts of major depression that can last two weeks or more. Other people are rapid cycling by way of three days manic, three days normal, three days manic, and then dropping into three days depression.

So you want to erase that picture in your mind that manic bipolar disorder is this sine wave, this cycling up and down between mania and depression. It can take a lot of different forms. This is a serious challenge for the psychiatrist to diagnose people because of that fact that they're only getting a snapshot of the person unless they've known them for some time and are working with them for some time.

But this is also especially important for those of you that either have bipolar depression or suspect that you might, or that know someone with bipolar depression or suspect somebody might have bipolar depression, AKA bipolar disorder. the way that bipolar disorder can.