What is Bipolar I?

Bipolar I disorder is a mood disorder that is characterized by at least one manic or mixed episode. There may be episodes of hypomania or major depression as well. It is considered a sub-diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and conforms to the classic concept of manic-depressive illness.

What is it like to have Bipolar I?

Common Symptoms Patients' Latest Severity My Current Severity  
Severity
Severe
Moderate
Mild
None
Delusions None Mild Moderate Severe
Excitability None Mild Moderate Severe
Flight of ideas None Mild Moderate Severe
Grandiose thinking None Mild Moderate Severe
Hallucinations None Mild Moderate Severe
Irritability None Mild Moderate Severe
Paranoia None Mild Moderate Severe

What do patients take to treat Bipolar I and its symptoms?

Commonly prescribed and frequently used treatments

Treatment name Efficacy Overall rating of side effects # of Evaluations
Lamotrigine
(Apo-Lamotrigine, Lamictal ODT Green Titration Kit, Lamictal XR, Lamictin)
37
Individual Therapy
(Meditation - Reflection, Mentalization Based Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Individual Therapy, Drug Treatment Centers)
29
Lithium Carbonate
(Lithosun, Teralithe, Maniprex, Lithionate)
29
Quetiapine
(Cobalt-Quetiapine, Qusel, Ketipinor, Ratio-Quetiapine)
22
Divalproex sodium
(Apo-Divalproex, Valtas OD, Divalproex sodium ER, Depakote)
12
Aripiprazole
(Amirozole, Zedan, Abilify)
11
Bupropion
(Voxra, Voxra, Budeprion SR, Zetron)
9
Risperidone
(Risperdal Quicklets, Buzon, Arketin, Apo-Risperidone)
8
asenapine
(Saphris)
5
Clonazepam
(DOM-Clonazepam, Paxam, APO Clonazepam, Clonotril)
3
Duloxetine
(Yentreve, Cymbalta)
3

These charts show data from Bipolar I patients' latest treatment evaluations

Who has Bipolar I at PatientsLikeMe?

<20 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+
Current Age
Distribution of females vs. males
Gender
74% Females
26% Males
Age at first symptom
Age at first symptom # of patients Proportion
0-19 yrs 592
20-29 yrs 234
30-39 yrs 119
40-49 yrs 43
50-59 yrs 10
60-69 yrs 3
70+ yrs 1
Diagnosis status
Diagnosis status # of patients Proportion
Diagnosed 1122
Not Officially Diagnosed 196

These charts show data from Bipolar I patients who have completed their condition history