Each year World Bipolar Day takes place on March 30 and this year members of the public across the globe are being encouraged to use social media to help disseminate information and get the event’s hashtags trending on social media.

World Bipolar Day is designed to raise awareness worldwide of bipolar conditions and to work to eliminate social stigma whilst providing information to educate and help people understand the condition.

Bipolar disorder affects a person’s mood, which can swing from one extreme to the other, with someone suffering from the disorder having episodes of depression or mania. People living with bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, tend to have their lives significantly disrupted as it can impact on a person’s ability to function. There are however several medications that can help to treat it.

The awareness day is an initiative organised by the International Bipolar Foundation in partnership with the Asian Network of Bipolar Disorder and the International Society for Bipolar Disorders.

For those using social media to post videos and photographs to help raise awareness of bipolar disorder, you are encouraged to use the hashtags #WorldBipolarDay and #BipolarStrong whilst tagging @intlbipolar on Twitter and Instagram and @InternationalBipolarFoundation on Facebook.