Many artists, musicians and writers have suffered from its mood swings. But in truth, many lives are ruined by this disease and, left untreated, the illness leads to suicide in approximately 20 percent of cases. Men and women are equally likely to develop this disabling illness. Different from normal mood states of happiness and sadness, symptoms of manic- depressive disorder can be severe and life threatening. Manic-depressive illness typically emerges in adolescence or early adulthood and continues to flare up across the life course, disrupting or destroying work, school, family, and social life.
Bipolar disorder tends to run in families and is believed to be inherited in many cases.
Despite vigorous research efforts, a specific genetic defect associated with the disease has not yet been detected. Bipolar illness has been diagnosed in children under age 12, although it is not common in this age bracket.