Recognized Types Of Bipolar Disorder

Periodicity of Swings
Besides the energy or intensity of mood episodes, the other important factor relating to bipolar mood swings has to do with their periodicity; how long each episode lasts, and how rapidly they fluctuate. Most of the time bipolar mood swings occur with relative slowness, over periods of weeks and months. Usually, less than four complete mood cycles occur within a given year, and each mood episode might last up to two months.
There is generally a period of relatively normal mood that occurs between mood episode extremes. However, some individuals bipolar disorder do not experience this normal inter-episode period and instead experience this interval as a point in time when their mood symptoms are milder than normal (rather than being absent). For example, a person who is clearly between episodes might still feel low on some days or slightly manic on others.
Though less common than the longer cycling forms of bipolar disorder, a rapid-cycling variation of bipolar disorder is recognized. Rapid cycling bipolar disorder occurs when complete mood cycle periods occur four or more times per year. Rapid cycling bipolar conditions are thought to occur in 20% or less of all bipolar patients.
Two additional cycling terms are now beginning to enter the literature. Ultra-rapid cycling is in use to describe cases where complete mood cycles occur in less than one month. Ultridian cycling is in use to indicate cases where complete mood cycles occur inside the space of one day (and thus might be confused with a mixed episode). It is important to note that ultra-rapid and ultridian forms of mood cycling are not yet formally recognized in the DSM and thus are not currently official terms.
Rapid cycling in any form of bipolar disorder tends to be associated with a poorer long-term prognosis, which is to say, rapid-cyclers don’t tend to hold their lives together as well as do bipolar patients who have longer cycles.
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Further Reading
The content on this page was originally from MentalHelp.net, a website we acquired and moved to MentalHealth.com. This content has not yet been fully updated to meet our content standards and may be incomplete. We are committed to editing, enhancing, and medically reviewing all content by September 30, 2025.
MentalHealth.com is a health technology company guiding people towards self-understanding and connection. The platform provides reliable resources, accessible services, and nurturing communities. Its purpose is to educate, support, and empower people in their pursuit of well-being.