What is the Difference Between Bipolar 1 and 2

The key difference between bipolar 1 and 2 is that bipolar 1 is a form of bipolar disorder that involves periods of severe mood episodes from mania to depression, while bipolar 2 is a form of bipolar disorder that involves milder episodes of hypomania, which alternate with periods of severe depression.

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness, also known as manic depression. It is a medical condition that causes extreme mood swings, which include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and emotional lows (depression). These mood swings generally affect sleep, energy, ability to think properly, judgement, activity, and personal behaviour. There are four types of bipolar disorder: bipolar 1, bipolar 2, cyclothymic disorder, other specified and unspecified bipolar and related disorders.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Bipolar 1 
3. What is Bipolar 2
4. Similarities – Bipolar 1 and 2
4. Bipolar 1 vs 2 in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Bipolar 1 vs 2

What is Bipolar 1?

Bipolar 1 is a type of bipolar disorder that involves periods of severe mood episodes from mania to depression. A person with bipolar 1 will experience full manic episodes. A manic episode is a period of abnormally elevated mood, high energy, abnormal behaviour that disrupts a person’s normal life. In addition, a person with bipolar 1 may or may not experience a major depressive episode. But most people with bipolar 1 suffer from episodes of depression. There is a pattern of cycling between mania and depression in bipolar 1.

Normally, anyone can develop bipolar 1 disorder. Generally, people with bipolar 1 disorder develop it before the age of 50. Usually, people with an immediate family member with bipolar 1 are at a higher risk. The symptoms may include increased energy, rapid and loud speech, flying suddenly from one idea to another, excessive spending, hypersexuality, substance abuse, and clinical depression. The manic episode of bipolar 1 is treated with mood stabilizers, antipsychotics and sedative-hypnotics such as benzodiazepines (clonazepam, lorazepam). Moreover, the depression episode of bipolar 1 is treated with antidepressants like lurasidone, olanzapine-fluoxetine, quetiapine and cariprazine.

What is Bipolar 2?

Bipolar 2 is a type of bipolar disorder that involves milder episodes of hypomania that alternate with periods of severe depression. A person with bipolar 2 will experience only a hypomanic episode. Hypomanic episode is a period that is usually less severe than a full maniac episode. However, a person with bipolar 2 will experience a major depressive episode. Bipolar 2 disorder involves major depressive episodes that last for at least two weeks and at least one hypomanic episode. People with bipolar 2 disorder don’t experience manic episodes intense enough to hospitalize. Bipolar 2 typically looks like depression. People with an immediate family member who suffers from bipolar 2 are at higher risk.

Moreover, symptoms of bipolar 2 include flying suddenly from one idea to another, exaggerated self-confidence, pressured and loud speech, increased energy, depressed mood, loss of pleasure, feelings of guilt, worthlessness and thought of suicide. In the case of bipolar 2, there is no need for treatment for hypomania episodes. Anyhow, preventive medicines level out the mood. But for depression, patients need antidepressants such as seroquel and seroquel XR.

What are the Similarities Between Bipolar 1 and 2?

• Bipolar 1 and 2 are two types of bipolar disorder.
• Both are common forms of bipolar disorder.
• They are mental illnesses.
• Both have similar symptoms.
• Mood cycling between high and low over time is present in both disorders.
• People with an immediate family member that suffers from these conditions are at higher risk.
• They are treatable conditions.

What is the Difference Between Bipolar 1 and 2?

Biopolar 1 is a form of bipolar disorder that involves periods of severe mood episodes from mania to depression, while bipolar 2 is a form of bipolar disorder that involves milder episodes of hypomania, which alternate with periods of severe depression.  Thus, this is the key difference between bipolar 1 and 2. Furthermore, a person with bipolar 1 may or may not experience a major depressive episode, while a person with bipolar 2 will experience a major depressive episode.

The following infographic presents the differences between bipolar 1 and 2 in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Bipolar 1 vs 2

In bipolar disorder, feelings can reach abnormally high and low levels. Sometimes, people may feel immensely excited. And other times, they may feel extremely depressed. Bipolar 1 and 2 are two types of bipolar disorder. Bipolar 1 involves periods of severe mood episodes from mania to depression, while bipolar 2 involves milder episodes of hypomania, which alternate with periods of severe depression. Thus, this is the key difference between bipolar 1 and 2.

Reference:

1. Lee, Janet, and Karen L. Swartz. “Bipolar I Disorder: Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide.” Bipolar I Disorder | Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide.
2. “What Is Bipolar II Disorder? Symptoms and Treatments.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Bipolar Dyptych 1 365”  By Capra Royale – (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Bipolar mood shifts” By Osmosis – Derived from screenshots of the video File:Bipolar disorder.webm (at times 3:30 and 3:51) (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia