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What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders, or mood swings, defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated mood clinically referred to as mania or, if milder, hypomania. Individuals who experience manic episodes also commonly experience depressive episodes or symptoms, or mixed episodes in which features of both mania and depression are present at the same time. These episodes are usually separated by periods of “normal” mood, but in some individuals, depression and mania may rapidly alternate, known as rapid cycling. Extreme manic episodes can sometimes lead to psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. The disorder has been subdivided into bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia, and other types, based on the nature and severity of mood episodes experienced; the range is often described as the bipolar spectrum.

(Wikipedia)

Marijuana Facts and Resources:

• The effect of extreme marijuana use on the long-term course of bipolar I illness: a single case study.
  “Subjective reports by patients suggest an overall positive effect, but these may be unreliable. We herein report a case in which mood data was prospectively collected over two years of total substance abstinence and two years of extreme marijuana use. Marijuana use did not alter the total number of days of abnormal mood, however, marijuana was associated with an increase in the number of hypomanic days and a decrease in the number of depressed days. While not conclusive, the data suggest that marijuana may indeed have an effect on mood in bipolar patients that needs to be systematically examined.”

Anecdotal:

• The Use of Cannabis as a Mood Stabilizer in Bipolar Disorder
  “The authors present case histories indicating that a number ofpatients find cannabis (marihuana) useful in the treatment of their bipolardisorder. Some used it to treat mania, depression, or both. They stated thatit was more effective than conventional drugs, or helped relieve the sideeffects of those drugs.”
• Cannabinoids in bipolar affective disorder
  “The cannabinoids Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) may exert sedative, hypnotic, anxiolytic, antidepressant, antipsychotic and anticonvulsant effects. Pure synthetic cannabinoids, such as dronabinol and nabilone and specific plant extracts containing THC, CBD, or a mixture of the two in known concentrations, are available and can be delivered sublingually. Controlled trials of these cannabinoids as adjunctive medication in bipolar disorder are now indicated.”
• Recipe For Trouble
  An article about a mother who uses medical marijuana to treat her–among other things–bipolar son.