Bipolar disorder most often begins in the 20s-30s, which is when young people start their working lives. The patient is characterised by mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic euphoria. In a state of mania, patients are often seen as volcanoes of energy, being creative and engaging in all activities.

During this time, employers are happy with their employees, but when the depressive period comes, sufferers become apathetic, have difficulty concentrating and then the greatest likelihood of losing their job occurs. During this time, the employee is usually unaware that he or she is ill at all. "In each patient, the course of the illness varies greatly and depends on the type of disorder - symptoms of mania and depression can occur separately over long intervals or alternate in the same period, with mild or severe severity.

Compared to normal mood swings, in BPAD they are much more intense and extreme, thus having a devastating impact on the sufferer's daily functioning. It is important that the patient feels supported in both phases, not only by the family, but also by the employer," - says Professor Bogdan de Barbaro, MD, PhD, from the Department of Family Therapy, Department of Psychiatry, Jagiellonian University Medical College. Each person's bipolar disorder has a different course, which is why doctors find it difficult to diagnose.

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Often, patients themselves and their relatives do not know that they have the illness, because the fluctuating moods of mania and depression are interpreted as reactions to stress and everyday life, rather than as symptoms of the illness. This is why proper diagnosis and support from the patient's environment is so important, which can contribute to fewer relapses and a mild course of the illness.