Bipolar II disorder

Bipolar II disorder is a mood disorder on the bipolar spectrum. People with this disorder have episodes of depression that alternate with hypomania. They never experience psychosis or mania, unlike people with bipolar I disorder.

Bipolar II disorder is not a "less severe" form of bipolar disorder simply because it does not cause mania. It often causes severe, chronic depression that may last for years and be more debilitating than mania. Among people with bipolar II, episodes of depression outnumber hypomanic episodes by a ratio of 39:1, according to a 2025 article in World Psychiatry.

Bipolar disorder cannot be cured, but it can be treated. The first-choice treatment for bipolar disorder is a combination of medications and psychotherapy.

Causes

Scientists do not know the cause of any type of bipolar disorder. Genetics play a role: more than two-thirds of people with a bipolar disorder have a family member with the same illness. However, many bipolar people have no bipolar family members. This shows that genes are not the only cause of bipolar disorder.

Stress and trauma may also play a role in many cases of bipolar disorder. A traumatic event (like seeing a violent death) can trigger a major depressive episode or a manic episode. This suggests that stress and trauma might trigger bipolar disorder.

In many cases, the cause is unknown.

Treatment

Bipolar disorder cannot be cured, but it can be treated. The first-choice treatment for bipolar disorder is a combination of medications and psychotherapy.

Medications

Medications that may be prescribed for bipolar disorder include:

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is an important treatment for bipolar disorder. Evidence suggests that it helps delay or prevent bipolar episodes when used in combination with medications.

There is strong evidence that certain types of therapy are effective for bipolar disorder. These include:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bipolar Disorder". The Cleveland Clinic. 2022. Retrieved 2025-09-14.
  2. 1 2 Benazzi F (2007). "Bipolar II disorder: Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Management". CNS Drugs (Therapy in Practice). 21 (9): 727–40. doi:10.2165/00023210-200721090-00003. PMID 17696573. S2CID 28078494.
  3. ↑ American Psychiatric Association. American Psychiatric Association. DSM-5 Task Force. (2017) [2013]. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5 (5th ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association. p. 139. ISBN 9780890425541. OCLC 1042815534 – via Internet Archive.
  4. 1 2 Berk, Michael; Corrales, Asier; Trisno, Roth; Dodd, Seetal; Yatham, Lakshmi N.; Vieta, Eduard; McIntyre, Roger S.; Suppes, Trisha; Agustini, Bruno (June 2025). "Bipolar II disorder: a state-of-the-art review". World psychiatry: official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA). 24 (2): 175–189. doi:10.1002/wps.21300. ISSN 1723-8617. PMC 12079553. PMID 40371769.
  5. 1 2 "Bipolar disorder". National Health Service. 2024-10-30. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  6. 1 2 "Bipolar disorder - Diagnosis and treatment - Mayo Clinic". www.mayoclinic.org. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  7. 1 2 3 Chiang, Karl S.; Miklowitz, David J. (February 2023). "Psychotherapy in Bipolar Depression: Effective Yet Underused". Psychiatric Annals. 53 (2): 58–62. doi:10.3928/00485713-20230119-01. ISSN 0048-5713. PMC 10198128. PMID 37214220.
  8. 1 2 Marzani, Gabrielle; Neff, Amy Price (2021-02-15). "Bipolar Disorders: Evaluation and Treatment". American Family Physician. 103 (4): 227–239. ISSN 1532-0650.
  9. ↑ "Bipolar treatment: Are bipolar I and bipolar II treated differently?". Mayo Clinic. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  10. ↑ Butler, Mary; Urosevic, Snezana; Desai, Priyanka; Sponheim, Scott R.; Popp, Jonah; Nelson, Victoria A.; Thao, Viengneesee; Sunderlin, Benjamin (August 2018). "Table 1, FDA-approved medications for bipolar disorder". www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  11. ↑ Novick, Danielle M.; Swartz, Holly A. (July 2019). "Evidence-Based Psychotherapies for Bipolar Disorder". Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing). 17 (3): 238–248. doi:10.1176/appi.focus.20190004. ISSN 1541-4094. PMC 6999214. PMID 32047369.