Bipolar Disorder is a mental health disorder that causes a person to experience periods of severe depression as well as periods of mania, hypomania, and/or a mixed state. While many people with Bipolar Disorder receive treatment and go on to live a happy and average life, some people with Bipolar Disorder experience the distressing state of Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder.
What Is Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder? Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder is when a person experiences the mood episodes of mania, hypomania, depression, and/or a mixed state, at a frequency of more than four distinct mood episodes per year. While this is typically a temporary state, some people with Bipolar Disorder continue to experience rapid cycling despite treatment, which can be very disruptive to every day life.
What Is Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder? Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder is when a person experiences the mood episodes of mania, hypomania, depression, and/or a mixed state, at a frequency of more than four distinct mood episodes per year. While this is typically a temporary state, some people with Bipolar Disorder continue to experience rapid cycling despite treatment, which can be very disruptive to every day life.
What Is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar Disorder is a mental health diagnosis that impacts the way a person thinks, feels, and behaves. Bipolar Disorder is diagnosed when a person is experiencing defined alternating episodes of major depressive disorder along with mania, hypomania, and/or a mixed state. Between major mood episodes, people typically experience periods of “normalcy” where they experience little to no symptoms of mania or depression.
The symptoms of depression can include:
- loss of interest in usually enjoyable activities
- over or under sleeping
- over or under eating
- social isolation
- crying episodes
- heavy feelings of guilt and shame
- Suicidal thoughts and feelings of not wanting to exist
- Not getting out of bed
- Not showering or changing clothes
- Difficulty carrying a conversation, in person or through text
- Sleeping all day
- Weight gain or loss
- Not cleaning and not up-keeping their living space
- Suicidal behavior such as ideation, making a plan, or taking action
- Self isolation
Mania, however, is the exact opposite of depression and symptoms can include:
- Rapid and pressured speech
- Feelings of elation
- Very inflated self-esteem
- Excessive activity of goal oriented activities
- No or little sleep
- Delusions of grandeur
- Paranoia
- Psychosis or otherwise losing touch with reality
Hypomania is a mood state very similar to classic mania, however it is less severe and less noticeable by both the person and those around them. While the symptoms are nearly identical, hypomania is seen as a “watered down” mania or “Mania Light”, because the symptoms are typically less severe when compared to classic mania. Hypomania, however, does not include psychosis and if psychosis is present, the episode is automatically defined as classic mania.
Common behaviors of mania and hypomania are:
- Excessive cleaning and organizing
- Devoting an unhealthy amount of time and focus to an art project or similar creative activity
- Irritability with the world not moving fast enough
- Reckless driving and speeding
- Shopping sprees
- Having a “big idea” that they believe will change the world or be wildly successful, such as a business idea or new theory
- Believing they can talk to a higher power and have special capabilities
- Overly flirtatious behavior
- Excessively chatty with rapid speech, not pausing and allowing others to talk, and jumping to different topics
- Sleeping only a few hours or not at all
A mixed episode in Bipolar Disorder is when a person experiences both symptoms of depression and mania, at the same time. These episodes are usually very emotionally intense and have a higher suicide risk due to the increase in energy which typically accompanies a mixed episode.
So What Is Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder?
Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder is when a person is experiencing periods of depression, mania, hypomania or a mixed episode at a frequency of more than four mood episodes per 12 month cycle.- Most people with Bipolar Disorder experience an average of 0.4 to 0.7 mood episodes per year. This state of near-stability is typically achieved through medication and/or therapy.
- 30% of those with Bipolar Disorder will experience a state of rapid cycling in their lifetime, although it is typically a transient state.
- 10% of those with Bipolar Disorder will experience a constant state of rapid cycling despite treatment, which can be extremely impactful on quality of life.
While Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder is defined as simply “more than 4” mood episodes per year, some further specify with Ultra-Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder used to describe mood episodes at the frequency of weeks, and Ultra-Ultra-Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder used to describe mood episodes at the frequency of days or hours.
How Fast Do Moods Change With Bipolar Disorder?
The distinct mood episodes of mania and depression are what gives a Bipolar Disorder it’s defining features. Bipolar Disorder gets its name from the two “poles” or opposite extremes, of depression and mania. Along with periods of depression, a person has to experience at least one period of mania, a mixed episode or hypomania, in their lifetime, to qualify for a Bipolar Diagnosis. Without mania or hypomania, the diagnosis would most likely be Major Depressive Disorder.
A person with Bipolar Disorder can experience mood episodes anywhere from 0-4+ times a year. If a person is being treated with medication, or otherwise “stable”, they can sometimes experience years with zero major mood episodes. However, if a person is experiencing more than 4 major mood episodes of depression, mania, hypomania, or a mixed state, they are considered to be in a stage of “Rapid Cycling”.
While it is scientifically recognized that Bipolar Disorder mood episodes can last for only hours or a few days at times (especially during a period of rapid cycling), there is a minimum length requirement for an episode to “count” towards an official diagnosis. The symptoms must be present for most or all of the day for a continuous period, to qualify as an episode. This is according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or the DSM, which is used by professionals when diagnosing a patient. The minimum length requirements for Bipolar mood episodes to count towards a diagnosis are:How Long Do Bipolar Episodes Last?
- Depression - Symptoms must persist for a period of at least two weeks.
- Mania - Symptoms must persist for a period of at least seven days.
- Hypomania - Symptoms must persist for a period of at least three days.
What Are The Risk Factors Of Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder?
Experiencing Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder can lead to some risks which may make the disorder more dangerous. Some of these risk factors are:
- Increased risk of suicidal behavior
- Substance use due to self-medicating
- Increased risk of poor quality of life due to inability to hold a job or maintain their home
- Increased risk of the person being treatment resistant
What Are Other Causes Of Mood Swings?
While frequent and dramatic mood swings may indicate Bipolar Disorder, there are sometimes other circumstances which may cause mood swings and these possibilities should also be considered. Some of the causes of Bipolar-like mood swings are:
- Substance or alcohol abuse
- Side effects of medication
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Major Depressive Disorder
- Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
- Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome
- Puberty
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