what is 1 and 2?

could anyone explain to me what bi-polar 1 is, and what bi-polar 2 is?I'm just not sure which one I am?

In short, bipolar 1 people experience full blown mania while bipolar 2 people experience hypomania. It’s more complicated than that, I would search around here on PC for a more complete answer. Maybe someone else can give you some links.

It's also the severity of depression vs mania, even though both are present. With bipolar 1 the symptoms of mania are the most severe, and with bipolar 2 it's the depression that's most severe. Bipolar 2 can be misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder. That's how it was with me. The depression was so huge that it was hard for me to tell if the hypomania was actually mania or just not being crushingly depressed so it took a pdoc who was really paying attention to my symptoms to figure it out.

Bipolar 1 gets their posts taken down while bipolar 2 doesn't. I guess depression posts are ok, while my manic posts are not allowed. Too much for people to handle or understand is my guess.

Also if you don't know then you're not BP1, because you would know and people are afraid of you.

Mania (bp1) stops you from functioning in your daily life (you do really dangerous stupid ****, wind up hospitalized or in jail, stuff like that) and sometimes have psychosis while hypomania (bp2) doesn't. Bipolar 2 tends to have really severe depression. There's also cyclothymia where you just sorta roll between hypomanic and mildly depressed and bipolar NOS (not otherwise specified)

ok. in bipolar I, there has to be some intense mania. i was diagnosed as -both- schizophrenic (mild schizophrenia...never heard of such) and bipolar I during my manic episode. i was also given involuntary shock to make me stop being crazy.

in bipolar ii, there should at least be hypomania. that's...often actually fun, but some people find it makes them agitated. loads of depression.

it does get more complicated than that. i am prone to psychotic depression. that's common in some people w/ bipolar I, i don't think psychotic depression is supposed to happen in bipolar II. and...psychosis can happen in mania, too...but psychosis does not generally occur during hypomania. and then...

treatment. everybody and their mama is on an 'atypical' antipsychotic, but really...they're best reserved for -severe- problems. in some bipolar I individuals, that means they're not even necesary, all the time. take during mania, perhaps during psychotic and/or agitated depression, then stop. in bipolar ii, i could see an 'atypical' for some forms of severe depression, agitation, etc., but they're not ideal as 1st line agents.

interestingly enough...people with bipolar i are prone to severe tardive dyskinesia. :-( more of an issue with the high doses of the old drugs that were used back in the day, but still an issue, now. i dont know about bipolar ii people and TD...-best to avoid antipsychotics if you can-

If you want to know which one you are, I recommend seeing a psychiatrist instead of trying to diagnose yourself.

Lol, they did see one and dr flip flopped. I said in a post, get a better dr. Apparently the dr they're seeing is an idiot.

It's called a second opinion and they're not trying to diagnose but asking an opinion because they're questioning the dr intelligence and the ability to actually give the proper diagnosis instead of just guessing.

You'd be surprised on how many pdocs have no clue and base if off just a conversation.

Here's a link to an article, from PC's archives, that discusses BP 1 & BP 2. It's a bit technical. But hopefully you can wade through it to find the information you're seeking:

The Two Types of Bipolar Disorder

And, then, here's a link to an article that asserts BP 2 is not simply a lesser form of BP 1 which people sometimes assume is the case:

Bipolar II is Not Diet Bipolar | Bipolar Laid Bare

Hope these articles are helpful...