Bipolar Disorder Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a mental illness involving episodes of serious mania and depression. When untreated, a person's mood can swing from abnormally high and irritable to sad and hopeless and then back again, with normal mood periods in between. Over 2 million Americans suffer from manic-depression. For those afflicted with the illness, it can be very distressing and disruptive, especially if it goes untreated. As many as 1 in 5 people with bipolar disorder commit suicide.
Bipolar illness can cause serious problems for the sufforer and family members.
Bipolar disorder tends to run in families and is believed to be inherited in many cases. Bipolar disorder involves cycles of depression and elation or mania. Sometimes the mood switches are dramatic and rapid, but most often they are gradual. When in the depressed stage, any or all of the symptoms of a depressive disorder can be present. In the manic cycle, any or all symptoms listed under mania might be experienced.