Today I talk about Bipolar II disorder. I know that many of you have asked me to talk more about bipolar disorder and how II differs from I, so here we go!

So bipolar II disorder is when we never have mania. Never! Instead we struggle with Hypomania, which is a lower grade mania with very similar symptoms (like increased goal oriented behavior, pressured speech, decreased need for sleep, etc).

We also must have had at least one (in our lifetime) major depressive episode. Now in order to be diagnosed with having had a major depressive episode we must have an increased or decreased need for sleep, increased or decreased appetite, anhedonia, lethargy, etc for at least 2 weeks.

Now in my experience most people come in to see me or see help in general when they are in their MDD episode. This is because being depressed feels terrible and we don't like it. Feeling hypomanic is usually something we like because we feel great, are getting a lot of things accomplished and have energy.
I know that many people were upset that I said Mania is something people like, because sometimes it can be uncomfortable. Just like anything in life, everyone experiences things differently. However, mania and hypomania are usually things that people like to have. Mixed, rapid cycling (between mania and MDD), and depression are not comfortable and we want the feelings caused by them to stop.

If you feel that you may struggle with this or any other mental illness, please seek professional help. There are many treatment options out there, and the sooner we seek help the better the outcome.

I hope you found this helpful! Please share this video on any of your social media sites, because the more we share, the less stigma is associated with mental illness. Have a wonderful week!

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