[quote=@Sorrelmyst]
I've just always heard of bipolar describing dual-personalitied people.

[/quote]

Like all mental illnesses, bipolar disorder differs from person to person. It's not having dual personalities, it's shifting between depressive episodes and manic episodes. The person doesn't change personalities between these shifts; bipolar disorder I, II, and cyclothymia are more like different types of roller-coasters. And each roller-coaster is tailored to the individual who's afflicted with the mental illness.

Manic episodes are times where the individual has too much energy to expend. Their outlook on life is different. They're prone to spending too much money, doing too many things, putting too much on their plate. They want to do anything and everything. I've read insomnia is often a symptom of a manic episode. Bipolar II, individuals experience hypomania which is a less acute form of mania. Depending, these episodes can last for a week. I'll stress, these manic episodes aren't just hyperactivity. It's euphoric, like being on a high and I honestly think it makes the drop from it all the more devastating.

Depressive episodes act as the name implies. They lack energy, sometimes they eat too much or they don't eat at all. Can feel hopeless and empty. It's what you think when you think of depression, essentially. They usually last longer than manic episodes.

It's not so much hot and cold, as it is, up and down, up and down, and a continuous cycle of this. Some individuals experience small ups and extreme downs. It's why it's also called manic-depressive disorder.

I'm not shooting you down, or anything. I just thought it might be wise to throw some knowledge out there. I see bipolar disorder/manic-depressive disorder misrepresented a lot as "This person's angry one second and super sad the next and the super angry, etc., etc.," and that's not really how it works. That's actually a lot more harmful than you'd think when considering people's perception of an individual who's bipolar, as well as individuals misdiagnosing themselves.

[s]Also, Schizophrenia is something that's still so unknown to the medical world that I would [i]definitely[/i] not attempt to portray it unless you yourself have it.[/s]

But, uh, don't take this as me being angry or anything else [s]I think it might be a bit rude to yell at someone for this, or maybe I'm just way too polite for my own good[/s]. I simply saw an opportunity to spread some knowledge! I think being informed is a powerful tool, especially in writing. :) And it's definitely not my excuse to delve into research for longer than I should, heh. It's both an extreme enjoyment and something I need to do to quell my anxiety.