Depression is a mood disorder that causes changes in how you think, feel, act and handle daily activities. To be diagnosed with depression, a person must experience symptoms every day for at least two weeks.
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes dramatic swings in mood. Depending on their type of illness, people with bipolar disorder may alternate between periods of extreme elevated mood and activity or extreme irritability, known as mania, and periods of very low mood, or depression. Psychotherapy and medications can help people manage their bipolar disorders and live productive lives.
It's normal to feel stress from time to time. But if the stress lasts a long time and doesn't go away, you may need to take take steps to manage it in order to stay healthy. Coping with stress starts with identifying what triggers your stress and then figuring out a positive outlet for those stressful feelings.
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that, while it doesn't have a cure, can be managed with a combination of medications, psychotherapy and lifestyle changes. Finding the right combination of treatments with the help of a mental health professional is key to living a full and successful life with bipolar disorder.