manic depression, its when you radmonly go from bursts of mania, feeling really happy and on top of the world then the next minute you are really depressed and feel like nothing.

Source: http://www.bipolar.com/index.html I feel like I am spamming I have given this link before, but a bipolar friend of my that lectures about bipolar disorder sends people that need real help here. What is Bipolar Disorder? Everyone has feelings of happiness and sadness once in a while. Feeling high and feeling low are part of life. But for someone with bipolar disorder (sometimes called manic depression), these feelings can be extreme: These ups and downs can be too much for a person to cope with. They can interfere with daily life. Sometimes they can even be dangerous. The ups and downs One day you may feel so depressed that you can't get out of bed. Work may seem impossible. On another day you may feel great and full of endless energy. You may feel like you’re getting a lot done. But other people might think that what you are doing is dangerous and out of control. Bipolar disorder is a lifelong condition. It can be hard for healthcare providers to diagnose. But it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Learning more about how to manage the condition can help.

Check out this online resource too: http://www.cmellc.com/topics/bdfaq.html

I think in layman's term, bipolar means being happy in one second and angry or mad in the next second, something like exessive mood swings.

its either the best feeling in the world or the worsed or both extremes in emotions normal people feel happy or sad or angry we feel high depressed or rage didnt go into to much depth with this answer as other people all ready have but u get the idea take care dave

duplicate The darn thing posted my answer twice. Hmm. I am bipolar. Maybe I should post everything twice? Nah. :)

I have recently been diagnosed with bipolar, I feel very imbarrased and dont want to tell anyone.

It is extreme highs and extreme lows, feelings of the untouchable...when you are 'high' nobody can hurt you or stop you, when you are 'low' it is the feeling of not being able to come back up.

If you were diagnosed then I am to believe you are getting treatment, you must not leave this disorder unattended it can turn into something quite unfortunate. The link provided by another user is excellent and simple to understand. I will not go into details about the disorder, I wish to explain why the many names it gets. It is a Mental Health issue which is the big name for a series of mental disorders. When you breakdown it down you reach one that is called Manic Depressions, name that has been highly stigmatized in the past. Thus the US School of Psychiatry reached the conclusion that certain mental illnesses required specific names. They came about several fancy names like Bipolar & Borderline. They also believed it would be convenient not to call them illnesses but disorders as these are usually chemical imbalances in the brain and thus a disorder. So we are now left with the names Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorders. These two disorder are quite usually confused and misinterpreted, having a very close Bipolar relative I have come to the personal conclusion that both disorders are the same. I have asked many psychologists and psychiatrists about this, they have not been able to explain the difference between the two disorders to clearly differentiate them. Don't separate depression and hyperactivity from both of the above disorders, both are a huge part of both disorders. When a person with any of the known mental illnesses has what we normally understand as a "crisis" it is now called an episode. This episode is the beginning or trigger to a full blown "crisis" thus it must not be left unattended. It is also true that many persons with very slight manic depressions are usually wrongly diagnosed and labeled as bipolar or borderline, if so diagnosed it is best to obtain a second opinion to avoid mistakes due to similarities within manic depressions. I hope I have helped you to understand a little about these terms. Regards.