Bipolar disorder
hideBipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, manic depressive disorder or bipolar affective disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated mood clinically referred to as mania or, if milder, hypomania. Individuals who experience manic episodes also commonly experience depressive episodes or symptoms, or mixed episodes in which features of both mania and depression are present at the same time. These episodes are usually separated by periods of "normal" mood, but in some individuals, depression and mania may rapidly alternate, known as rapid cycling. Extreme manic episodes can sometimes lead to psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. The disorder has been subdivided into bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia, and other types, based on the nature and severity of mood episodes experienced; the range is often described as the bipolar spectrum.
Data from the United States on lifetime prevalence varies, but indicates a rate of around 1 percent for Bipolar I, 0.5 to 1 percent for Bipolar II or cyclothymia, and between 2 and 5 percent for subthreshold cases meeting some, but not all, criteria. The onset of full symptoms generally occurs in late adolescence or young adulthood. Diagnosis is based on the person's self-reported experiences, as well as observed behavior. Episodes of abnormality are associated with distress and disruption, and an elevated risk of suicide, especially during depressive episodes. In some cases it can be a devastating long-lasting disorder; in others it has also been associated with creativity, goal striving and positive achievements.
Genetic factors contribute substantially to the likelihood of developing bipolar disorder, and environmental factors are also implicated. Bipolar disorder is often treated with mood stabilizer medications, and sometimes other psychiatric drugs. Psychotherapy also has a role, often when there has been some recovery of stability. In serious cases in which there is a risk of harm to oneself or others involuntary commitment may be used; these cases generally involve severe manic episodes with dangerous behavior or depressive episodes with suicidal ideation. There are widespread problems with social stigma, stereotypes and prejudice against individuals with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. People with bipolar disorder exhibiting psychotic symptoms can sometimes be misdiagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia, another serious mental illness.
The current term "bipolar disorder" is of fairly recent origin and refers to the cycling between high and low episodes (poles). A relationship between mania and melancholia had long been observed, although the basis of the current conceptualisation can be traced back to French psychiatrists in the 1850s. The term "manic-depressive illness" or psychosis was coined by German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin in the late nineteenth century, originally referring to all kinds of mood disorder. German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard split the classification again in 1957, employing the terms unipolar disorder (major depressive disorder) and bipolar disorder.
For more information about Bipolar disorder, read the full article at
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News tagged with bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder genes, pathways identified
Nov 21, 2008 |
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Neuroscientists at the Indiana University School of Medicine have created the first comprehensive map of genes likely to be involved in bipolar disorder, according to research published online Nov. 21 in the American Journal of ...
Largest study of its kind implicates gene abnormalities in bipolar disorder
Aug 17, 2008 |
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A large genetic study of bipolar disorder has implicated machinery that balances levels of sodium and calcium in neurons. The disorder was associated with variation in two genes that make components of such ion channels. ...
Children of older fathers more likely to have bipolar disorder
Sep 01, 2008 |
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Older age among fathers may be associated with an increased risk for bipolar disorder in their offspring, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
Family therapy helps relieve depression symptoms in bipolar teens
Sep 01, 2008 |
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Family-focused therapy, when combined with medication, appears effective in stabilizing symptoms of depression among teens with bipolar disorder, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
Researchers find a partially shared genetic profile between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
Jul 17, 2008 |
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Both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be disabling conditions, and both present clinically with significant mood and psychotic symptoms. These two illnesses also share genetic variants that might be involved in the ...
Mentally ill threat in nursing homes
Mar 22, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Ivory Jackson had Alzheimer's, but that wasn't what killed him. At 77, he was smashed in the face with a clock radio as he lay in his nursing home bed.
If bipolar disorder is over-diagnosed, what are the actual diagnoses?
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Jul 29, 2009 |
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A year ago, a study by Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University researchers reported that fewer than half the patients previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder received an actual diagnosis of bipolar disorder after using ...
Young adults may outgrow bipolar disorder
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Sep 29, 2009 |
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Bipolar disorder, or manic-depression, causes severe and unusual shifts in mood and energy, affecting a person's ability to perform everyday tasks. With symptoms often starting in early adulthood, bipolar disorder has been ...
School's Stresses Can Trigger Mood Disorders
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Oct 08, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- With the school year kicking into full gear, mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and depression can start to manifest themselves -- and parents need to be on the lookout for them in their ...
Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: Bridging the divide
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Oct 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Sufferers of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are being brought together in a major new study to determine the diseases? common genetic causes.
Study shows that a combination of common genetic variations can lead to schizophrenia
Jul 01, 2009 |
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A multi-national group of investigators, including a scientist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has discovered that nearly a third of the genetic basis of schizophrenia may be attributed ...
Having parents with bipolar disorder associated with increased risk of psychiatric disorders
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Mar 02, 2009 |
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Children and teens of parents with bipolar disorder appear to have an increased risk of early-onset bipolar disorder, mood disorders and anxiety disorders, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Ps ...
Gene knockout may cheer up mice
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 12, 2009 |
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Removing the PKCI/HINT1 gene from mice has an anti-depressant-like and anxiolytic-like effect. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience applied a battery of behavioral tests to the PKCI/HINT1 knocko ...
FDA weighs approval of psychiatric drugs for kids
Medicine & Health / Medications
Jun 05, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Three blockbuster psychiatric drugs currently approved for adults also appear to work in adolescents, though federal health officials have concerns about exposing younger patients to the drugs' side effects.
Bringing bipolar into the light
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Aug 10, 2009 |
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Chances are, we all know someone like Marya Hornbacher. We just don't realize that we do because, like Hornbacher, these someones are charming, smart, well-spoken and prosperous -- not at all like people who are (cough) bipolar.
