Psychiatrist Wayne Macfadden MD handles the psychiatric evaluation and treatment of Native Americans at Spirit Lake Health Center. Possessing upwards of three decades of psychiatric experience, Wayne Macfadden MD has been involved in numerous clinical studies of mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder.
Marked by periods of highs and lows in mood, bipolar disorder affects around 4.4 million adults in the United States. The disorder is usually divided into several types:
Bipolar I
People diagnosed with bipolar I have manic episodes for at least seven days in a row. If these manic episodes are extreme, patients may require hospitalization. After the period of mania, people with bipolar I experience major depression for at least two weeks or a mix of manic and depressive and moods.
Bipolar II
Patients with this diagnosis do not experience full-blown manic episodes. They often have a pattern of mild depressive and hypomanic episodes. Since these episodes are mild, they often go unrecognized, resulting in a misdiagnosis of depression and not bipolar disorder.
Cyclothymia
Also known as cyclothymic disorder, this type of bipolar disorder is characterized by periods that do not meet the criteria for fully depressive or manic episodes. In children, cyclothymia may last for a year, while it can last two years or longer in adults.
Not otherwise specified (NOS)
In recurring episodes of hypomania without depressive episodes, rapid swings between mania and depression, or any other mix of symptoms that do not adhere to a specific pattern, the bipolar disorder is usually described as NOS. Medical conditions, drug use, or alcohol use may play a part in the appearance of these bipolar-like symptoms.
