Bipolar disorder is a recurring psychiatric illness with often devastating symptoms of depression and mania. The disorder, which has been described in highly accomplished individuals such as Theodore Roosevelt, Robert Schumann, Vincent van Gogh, and Sylvia Plath, is highly treatable, however. Despite the chronicity of the illness, effective drugs such as lithium have enabled persons diagnosed with bipolar illness to lead productive lives. Diagnostic Criteria Bipolar illness has two distinct forms. Bipolar I disorder, previously called manic-depressive illness, characterizes patients who experience episodes of mania and depression or mania only.
Any single episode can be manic, depressive, or mixed.
A diagnosis of mania does not require a set duration of illness or impairment. For a diagnosis of depression, however, the symptoms must last at least two weeks. For a diagnosis of mania, the patient's mood can be either elated or irritable. The most common symptoms are grandiosity, racing thoughts, and pressured speech. The patient is also distractible.