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1. Bipolar disorder involves episodes of mania and depression.

2. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 5.7 million American adults, or 2.6 percent of the population age 18 and older in any given year, suffer from bipolar disorder.

3. Most people with bipolar disorder can expect that even their most severe mood swings can be relieved with treatment.

4. Like other serious illnesses, bipolar disorder is not only difficult for the person who has it but also on family members, friends and employers. Family members of people with bipolar disorder often have to cope with serious behavioral problems (such as wild spending sprees) and the lasting consequences of these behaviors.

5. Bipolar disorder generally strikes before the age of 35, usually beginning during the late teens or early 20s.

6. Bipolar disorder tends to run in families. Many researchers believe it is genetic; however, researchers have not been able to associate a specific genetic defect with the disease.

7. Not everybody with a family history of manic depression develops the illness.

8. Studies suggest that stress, difficulty at work or with interpersonal relationships may trigger episodes in people with bipolar disorder, particularly if the stress causes loss of sleep.

9. Lithium has been the treatment of choice for people with bipolar disorder but doesn't work for everyone with the disorder. Other effective treatment options are available.

10. Bipolar disorder can get worse during and after pregnancy; because of potential risk to the developing fetus, the disease must be carefully treated by a health care professional during this time.