A psychiatric disorder is a mental illness diagnosed by a mental health professional that greatly disturbs your thinking, moods, and/or behavior and seriously increases your risk of disability, pain, death, or loss of freedom. In addition, your symptoms must be more severe than expected response to an upsetting event, such as normal grief after the loss of a loved one.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain and behavior disorder characterized by severe shifts in a person's mood and energy, making it difficult for the person to function. More than 5.7 million American adults or 2.6 percent of the population age 18 or older in any given year have bipolar disorder. The condition typically starts in late adolescence or early adulthood, although it can show up in children and in older adults. People often live with the disorder without having it properly diagnosed and treated.
When does a mental health concern become a psychiatric disorder?
If you're like most people, you’ve probably had a mental health concern from time to time, such as depression following the loss of a job. These concerns are typically time-limited, and eventually, you start to feel better. That’s not true of a psychiatric disorder, in which your symptoms are ongoing and frequently upsetting to you and the people around you.