Manic Depression is also known as Bipolar Illness.
Like depression, people with this disorder go through stages of depression, but Mania or Manic adds a cycle.
Mania is a very “up” mood, over elated, over happy. Too much of anything is no good, and because of these cycles, people experiencing Manic Depression visit the two extremes of depression and elation.
Sure, sounds great to be able to be really happy and energetic all the time. However, with the elated mood, the sufferer will often talk rapidly, and become disjointed.
There are three types of cycles that people may go through during mania. These are Rapid Cycle, Ultra-Rapid cycle and Ultradian cycles. All of these show how many episodes of mania the person goes through a year.
Rapid Cycles are most common, and this means 3 or 4 cycles of mania per year.
Ultra Rapid Cycles mean that the person goes through episodes that are shorter than a week, a bit more often.
Ultradian cyclers go through distinct, dramatic mood changes within a 24-hour block.