n a person's late teens or 20s. Men usually experience mania as the first mood episode, and women usually experience depression first. Episodes of mania and depression usually last from several weeks to several months. On average, people with untreated bipolar disorder experience four episodes of mania or depression over a ten-year period. Many people with bipolar disorder function normally between episodes. Still, in "rapid-cycling" bipolar disorder a person experiences four or more mood episodes within a year and may have little or no normal functioning in between episodes. Often times bipolar patients report that the depressions are longer and increase in frequency as they age. Bipolar disorder
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