The main symptoms of bipolar disorder Bipolar are mania, hypo mania, and depression. Each of these symptoms have their own indicators whenever they are present which some call the red flags of the disorder. These mood swings which can be severe to very severe do not follow a certain pattern. For example mania symptoms do not always follow depression and the other way around. A lot of people can go through the same experience and moods” for weeks or months all at once “and all of a sudden some people experience the opposite mood. These phases differ a lot with each individual, with some severe and others not so.