Bipolar II disorder means you experience temporary surges in emotions, energy levels, and self-esteem. This may be followed by periods of deep depression.
Learning how to live with a mental health diagnosis can be like beginning an entirely new life.
Once you have a bipolar II disorder diagnosis, you can start responding to health changes, find the support you need, and work with your healthcare team and family to fine-tune treatments to best work with your personal needs.
A doctor, psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse, or psychologist can diagnose bipolar II disorder.
To get a
You may also do a blood test to rule out other conditions that could destabilize your moods.
How is bipolar II disorder different from bipolar I disorder?
Bipolar I disorder involves more severe mania. Though your highs may not be as extreme, the cycles of hypomania and depression in bipolar II disorder can still affect your self-concept, finances, career, and relationships.
As you might expect,
Here’s what hypomania symptoms can look like:
- feeling elated or high
- feeling jittery, restless, or irritable
- tackling a large number of projects at the same time
- tumbling, racing thoughts
- speaking with haste
- behaving recklessly with money or sex
- staying up all night without feeling exhausted
Here’s what depression symptoms can look like:
- feeling numb, drained, or “dead” inside
- feeling sorrowful, sad, or hopeless
- having trouble falling asleep or waking up
- sleeping at times of the day when you’re usually active
- losing pleasure in things you usually enjoy, including sex
- losing the ability to focus or concentrate
- having little desire to speak or speaking slowly
- feeling little or no motivation to act
It’s possible you could have mixed symptoms in one episode. For example, you could feel anxious and jittery while also feeling unmotivated and drained. How long periods of depression or hypomania last varies from person to person.
How you may feelAccording to accounts shared with the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, people with bipolar II disorder describe living with the disorder like this:
When I am having an episode of hypomania, I:
- feel as though I don’t need sleep
- have so many ideas it’s impossible to act on them all
- talk so fast other people can hardly keep up
- feel unconquerable, ecstatic, powerful, completely unique
- drain my bank account
- complete huge projects in short periods
- create things feverishly
- stop eating or eat just enough to keep going
- sometimes do risky things, like having sex with strangers
- sometimes believe I am hearing directly from God
When I am having an episode of depression, I:
- can feel lost and invisible
- cannot seem to find the words to say what’s going on
- sleep so much — but never feel rested
- lose all motivation and passion for living
- can’t seem to do things I know I should do
- crave unhealthy food
- eat to try and feel better
- hide from the people in my life
- stop performing with my usual vigor at work or school
- have trouble concentrating
- feel like a failure
- am convinced things are hopeless
- sometimes feel like folding up and dying
Your symptoms may be different. Exactly how you experience the physical and emotional effects of bipolar II disorder will be unique to you.
Living with bipolar II disorder isn’t just about participating in therapy and taking medication.
You can work toward a more balanced, healthy life in many other ways.
Become an active part of your treatment team
Bipolar II disorder
While your doctor will recommend and prescribe medications and your therapist will guide your therapy sessions, you are an expert on what you’re experiencing. And you can become an expert on bipolar II disorder in time.
You can read up on the disorder yourself to help your treatment team with your care.
Equipped with science-supported information on available treatment, accounts from other people about what they’ve experienced, and what to look for when an episode of hypomania or depression is on the horizon, you’ll be ready to help create a wellness plan that works for you.
What to read if you need more than words
These graphic memoirs capture what it’s like to live with bipolar II disorder and some of the other mental health conditions commonly diagnosed at the same time. The combination of art and story may be more telling than words alone.
Monitor your moods, symptoms, and triggers
Managing a condition like bipolar II disorder is not a one-and-done situation. Over time, you will go through periods where stressors in your life, changes in your body, and many other variables will alter how effective your treatment plan is.
- Keep track of your feelings: You can use a journal, a mood chart or calendar, an app, or any other method that allows you to take a frequent inventory of your emotions. Look for any change in your mood or outlook that feels like a familiar sign of a mood shift. Electronic and digital methods of tracking mood may be helpful.
- Notice changes in your desires and habits: Establishing routines, schedules, and structures can be key to maintaining your mental health. You may notice that you no longer feel like cooking or exercising long before you notice any change in your emotions, which can indicate that it’s time to make a change.
- Anticipate your triggers: Certain life events — loss of sleep, financial stress, relationship conflicts, or traumatic experiences — may make it more likely that you’ll have a relapse. In a 2019 study involving people who had experienced a relapse of bipolar disorder symptoms, nearly 70% had gone through a stressful life event in the days just before the relapse. Knowing these triggers in advance may help you take extra care of yourself or reach out for extra support at critical times.
- Consider interpersonal and social rhythm therapy (IPSRT): This therapy equips you with skills to help you maintain the daily routines that protect you from escalating episodes, including sleep schedules, taking your medications daily, sticking to healthy eating and exercise patterns, and responding to stressful situations in healthy ways. According to a
2020 study , IPSRT reduces anxiety, hypomania, and depression symptoms in people with bipolar disorder.
Create an action plan for when symptoms change
There’s always the possibility that you’ll have breakthrough symptoms or a relapse at some point in your life. If you’ve made a plan to guide how you and those around you will respond, you can minimize the disruption and quickly get the help you need.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) suggests that your plan include these items:
- names and contact information for your healthcare team, including your primary care doctor, psychiatrist, therapist, and any other healthcare professionals you need
- names and contact information for key family members you trust
- phone numbers for local crisis centers and healthcare facilities near you, especially those with respected mental health centers
- a list of your medications and any allergies you may have
- a brief timeline of any other mental health crises, hospitalizations, or suicide attempts
- information about your triggers, special needs, and what has helped in the past
Some people decide to include a psychiatric advance directive. This legal document names a person to make decisions on your behalf if you’re not in a position to make them.
It’s a good idea to let the people you trust know that the plan exists and where they can find it if necessary. You may also want to keep copies of the plan in several easy-to-find locations in your home, vehicle, and phone.
Develop a wellness recovery action plan (WRAP)
Because healthy routines are so important for maintaining wellness and preventing a crisis, you may want to create a WRAP. A WRAP typically includes:
- a brief description of what you and your life look like when you are healthy
- an inventory of your wellness tools: people, routines, and resources you need to keep symptoms in check and keep your treatment plan active
- a list of your triggers
- a list of early warning signs that could mean a hypomania or depression episode is coming
- problem-solving strategies, including a list of people you trust to help you devise solutions
- signs that you are in a mental health crisis and need help
Studies show that WRAPs, especially those that include problem-solving interventions, can help you feel prepared for recovery.
Stay connected to people who support you
When you’re not feeling your best, it can be tempting to withdraw from the people who know you and care about your well-being.
According to a 2017 study, positive social support can make it easier to cope with and manage your emotions. Supportive relationships can also build your resilience during times of recovery.
It’s a good idea to develop a wide, diverse support network. At different times, these connections can support you in various ways, reminding you that you are much, much more than a diagnosis.
A combination of
Medications could include:
- mood stabilizers
- atypical antipsychotics
- anxiety medications
- medications to help you sleep
The types of psychotherapy most helpful in treating bipolar II disorder include:
- interpersonal social rhythm therapy
- cognitive behavioral therapy
- family-focused therapy
- dialectical behavior therapy
- group therapy
How to help someone with bipolar II disorder
People with bipolar disorder who experience a depression episode may need:
- help to recognize that they’re in a depression period
- encouragement to follow through on treatment
- acceptance, tolerance, and empathy
This can mean they are likely to feel worried about relapse, afraid of how other people may view their condition and guilty about the effects the disorder has on other people.
As a family member, you may also experience considerable stress because of the practical ways the disorder affects everyone in the family. For some people, family therapy may be a good option for increasing support and resolving conflicts.
Read more about how to help support people with bipolar disorder.
Bipolar disorder is not curable, but treatment can be effective in managing symptoms.
Effective treatment and management can help you have long periods without any symptoms and without mood changes. However, some people may experience symptoms even with a managed care and treatment plan.
People with untreated bipolar disorder are
If you or someone in your life has received a diagnosis of bipolar II disorder, you’re embarking on a new course: one that could help you balance some of the highs and lows that have disrupted your life.
Medication, therapy, support, and healthier habits can help manage the hypomania and depression of your diagnosis.
It will take time to get your treatment plan in place, and you may need to tweak it from time to time as your body, mind, and life go through changes. But you can effectively manage bipolar II disorder and find your way to improved well-being.