Pay close attention here. This is where Psychiatry has lost it's own mind in trying to figure out the mood spectrums of humans. Quite honestly not because I dont understand but simply because it is so confusing to try to explain. The other day my Mother called and wanted to know what Bipolar was and I asked if she had an hour or so. I actually referred her to the NIMH web site. Most of the information on the internet is pharmacutically biased. This is where pharma makes its money. Just watch for the commercials. Bipolar is the clinical definition of what is commonly known as manic depression. Bipolar simply refering to the two ends of the spectrum mania and depression. Mania is a distictive state of abnormal and persistantly elevated, expansive, or irritable mood lasting at least a week. Again distinctive and abnormal are key words. manic episodes contain three or more of the following. All simultaniously co-occuring. 1) Inflated self esteem or grandiosity. 2) decreased need for sleep. (this is not the cant sleep andfeel tired, but rather I dont want sleep and feel energized after just three hours). 3) pressured speech or more talkative. 4) Flight of ideas or racing thoughts. 5) Distractibility 6) Increased goal directed activity or psychomotor agitation. 7) Excessive involvment in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequence. This manic state must cause severe impairment in their work or social life. Sometimes there are psychotic features The altered state is not due to a medical issue or substance induced state. Then there is the distinction between bipolar type 1 and 2 disorders.