The bipolar disorder is a depression which is characterized by presenting emotions or states of mood very variable, since maniac moments to depressive moments, presenting alternation of depression and mania, in recurrent way and then disappear spontaneously. The bipolar or maniac-depressive disorder is less frequent, is characterized by cyclic changes in the state of mood; from a high mood or euphoric (mania) to phases of low mood (depression), in dramatic way and quickly (very often gradual). When a person is in the depressive phase of the cycle, can suffer of one, many or all symptoms of the depressive disorder. When it is in the maniac phase, the person can be hyperactive, talk excessively and has a great quantity of energy. The mania frequently affects the way of think, the judgment and the way of behavior with relation to the others. It can take that the person is put in serious problems and in embarrassing situations. For example, in the maniac phase the individual can be felt happy or euphoric, has great projects, make wild decisions of business, and gets involved in adventures or romantic fantasies. If the mania is left without being treated, it can be worse and become in a psychotic state (the patient lost temporarily the reason). Some of the characteristics of the patients with bipolar disorder are people with difficulty to distinguish between the left and the right, who have the capacity to keep awake during long time and, due to their extra energy and predisposition, tend to think that are over the other, among other things.

The symptoms of the bipolar disorder are divided in two phases, a depressive phase and the other phase maniac, which can occur simultaneously or in quick succession (mixed phase). During the depressive phase the patient presents (sometimes all, rarely) of the listed symptoms in previous paragraphs. In the maniac phase is presented another type of symptoms: Exaltation of the state of mood (abnormal euphoria); Increase of the activities oriented towards goals; fleeting ideas or accelerated thought (ideas of greatness); unusual irritability; high self-esteem; minor necessity of sleep; agitation; Logorrhea (to talk more than usual or have the necessity to continue talking); increase in the involuntary activity (that means, walk from a side to another, twist the hands); excessive restlessness; energy excessively increased; involuntary increase of weight; low control of temperament; lack of judgment; pattern of behavior of extreme irresponsibility; increase in the activity directed to the social or sexual level; excessive and harmful commitment in pleasant or social activities which have a great potential of producing painful consequences (go on a spree, have multiple sexual partners, consume alcohol and other drugs); false believes (deliriums); and hallucinations