What is the Difference Between Unipolar and Bipolar Mood Disorders?
There are many types of mood disorders, depending on the symptoms that an individual experiences. Certain sets of symptoms are referred to as an “episode.” So, a person who is living with a mood disorder can have an episode of depression, an episode of hypomania, an episode of mania, or a mixed episode. Not only are mood disorders divided into episodes, they are divided into two large groups: unipolar and bipolar disorders. People who have unipolar disorders experience episodes of depressed mood, but never experience the manic or hypomanic symptoms of bipolar disorder. Even though unipolar and bipolar disorders are classified as mood disorders, they are considered different illnesses. What Are the Subtypes of Bipolar Disorder? People who are diagnosed with bipolar disorder have different types of mood episodes from people who are diagnosed with unipolar disorders. In fact, bipolar disorder has several subtypes: bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia, and bipolar NOS. Bipolar I refers to a
