This category is for people who experience the symptoms of mania and depression but their symptoms do not fit neatly into the other types of bipolar. Just like all types of bipolar, it is highly treatable once diagnosed.  

In terms of the factors for a diagnosis of bipolar, as in most mental illnesses there are genetic and environmental components. If you have a family history of bipolar in one parent, your chance of developing bipolar disorder is 10%. If both parents have either diagnosed or undiagnosed bipolar disorder, then your chances jump to 35%. While a family history of mental illness does not cause mental illness, a family history can increase the vulnerability to mental illness.

Bipolar, like all other mental illnesses, can be hard to manage. Mood swings for no obvious reason, impaired judgment and decision making, and depression are all serious symptoms that intrude into a person’s life in many ways. Knowing your symptoms, charting your moods, taking medications and learning all about bipolar can help you feel more in control of the disease and can help one take preemptive measures when depression or mania is ‘coming on.'