[quote]The amount of misconceptions in this thread... Bipolar disorder is categorized by at one moment, being very depressed, then the next, being very manic (happy or ecstatic). Bipolar does not include anger management problems or really any other emotions (this might have changed in the DSM V, I have not looked it up yet). It's a disorder that the person suffering from it can not control. It would be equivalent to calling a child with downs syndrome a bad child. It is a serious mental disorder that needs to be handled by a trained professional. Now, do people that do not have bipolar disorder claim they do and use it as an excuse, yes. Those people need to be properly educated and need to see a trained professional for their anger management and other possible personality or mental disorders they might have.[/quote] Being easily irritated during a mania or hypomania swing is common so that could lead to anger issues but not directly. Other then that slight fix I agree 100%

I make the distinction that anger management is not bipolar because the common misconception is that bipolar disorder is a swing of mood towards anger, which is not. Can anger management issues go hand in hand with bipolar disorder, most definitely. Does every one with bipolar disorder have anger management problems, most definitely not, which is why I make the distinction.

I think another common misconception is that mood swings always happen from one moment to the next, or that patients live in one extreme or the other. Manic or depressive states can last days or even weeks. Also, a person can live in a good leveled out state for long periods of time.