Ten percent of autistic adults have bipolar. Autism is a high somatostatin and low dopamine illness. This for convenience sake can be displayed as a percentage eg: 80% and 20% – a particularly challenged person being at 80% in a manic swing is very detrimental in a person’s capacity to negotiate such a problem. Somatostatin can only move a total of 20% to cover the episode. This may well be too much for the CNS to reel in the escalating mood with this limited coverage. If a depressive swing begins to take place running at 80% somatostatin it also may be unrealistic for the CNS to drop enough to harness the mood before it is in damaging territory. Once there is a large enough swing there may be no way back to so called long term normal moods. Bipolar and autism can co-occur.

Bipolar 2 is different again. It also can be explained as a percentage. This time dopamine is high and somatostatin is low, sitting at 65% and 35%. That is 65% dopamine to 35% somatostatin. This means there is little protection by somatostatin to stop the CNS from going into a depressive phase. However it is placed well to harness the upside from going into full blown mania. Thus the word hypomania is applied when there is high dopamine and low somatostatin. There is the risk of overlapping schizophrenic symptoms or having both bipolar and schizophrenia co-occurring.

Cyclothymic is not as severe as bipolar 1 or bipolar 2. Its range is elevated above a normal mood and also cycles slightly lower giving a milder depressed outcome. This means that somatostatin keeps dopamine in check and does not let it wonder too far from the 50% – 50% baseline. However it is a condition that needs monitoring because of the abnormalities it presents.

There is also Unspecified Bipolar Disorder that houses anything that doesn’t fit the other three categories. In mania an individual can develop a myriad of symptoms. These symptoms lead generally to a high level of activity and seemingly endless amounts of energy.