As mentioned, there are type I and type II bipolar disorders, with the first type exhibiting both major depressive and major manic episodes, and with the second type exhibiting major depressive and minor manic episodes. There is also, as briefly mentioned above, a third type of bipolar disorder in which the depressive and manic episodes are both minor. This condition is sometimes referred to as cyclothymic disorder. Not much is known about this disorder, and there are no extant epidemiological studies regarding its effect on relationships.
“Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person’s mood, energy, and ability to function. Different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe” (Perry, 2000). The abovementioned epidemiology of bipolar disorders in relation to their relationship to schizophrenia (more common) and depression (less common) refer to a combination of both type I and type II bipolar disorders, which are grouped together, and both adversely affect social relationships, leading to isolation from those with whom they are in a relationship
Despite the problems of isolation and inconstancy in social and love relationships throughout the span of life for those with the disorder, and the fact that for many years it was not considered to be bipolar disorder at all, but was rather called manic depression, researchers have seen an increase in the number of cases involving symptoms of bipolar disorder since the middle of the twentieth century. This epidemiological data has various repercussions in theory, but it is not definitely known why this upsurge in bipolar
disorders has occurred. Some researchers think it is on account of social factors in the society that are environmental in nature that bipolar disorder is becoming more and more prevalent with the passage of time. It could also arguably be that the process of diagnosing the disorder takes time itself, which could account for the gradual nature of the growth. Again, no one really knows for sure, although there are many theories about the increase.