Between these emotional swings, there are periods when a person's mood is quite normal. When a person is in the depressed phase of bipolar illness, he or she will have the same symptoms as those found in major depressive disorder. The depressive episodes can often be severe. While in a manic phase, a person experiences mood that is extremely elevated, expansive, or irritable.
Mania can seriously impair one's normal judgment.
When manic, a person is prone towards reckless and inappropriate behavior such as engaging in wild spending sprees or having promiscuous sex. I Disorder is diagnosed when a person has had at least one manic or mixed episode, often along with a major depressive episode. Bipolar II Disorder is diagnosed when a person has had a major depressive episode along with at least one hypomanic episode. People with bipolar disorder experience a wide range of feelings depending on the phase of the illness is present. During a phase of depression, a person will have many of the symptoms of a major depressive episode.