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Bipolar disorders can be severe, relapsing mental illnesses that share characteristics with both the major depressive disorders and the psychotic disorders. Like the depressive disorders, bipolar disorders feature recurrent episodes of altered mood. Like schizophrenia, they may cause altered cognition and perceptions (often involving psychotic episodes). However, bipolar disorders are not part of a continuum between schizophrenia and depressive disorders. Rather, they are a group of distinct psychiatric disorders with their own pattern of clinical presentation, prevalence, genetic history, and treatment response. Although often difficult to discriminate from other mental illnesses early in presentation, a better understanding of bipolar disorders, especially in late life, can lead to improved recognition and treatment.
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