Pressroom Bibliography Bipolar disorder, or manic-depressive disorder, is a mood disorder in which people experience alternating episodes of mania and major depression. Mania is characterized by elation, irritability, excitability, racing thought and speech, and hyperactivity.
Major depression is characterized by sadness, withdrawal, despair, and suicidal thoughts.
In the early 1900s, the German psychiatrist Emil Kraeplin was the first to formally describe bipolar disorder. His work in the early 20th century led to advancements in classifying, treating, and predicting the course of mental illness, which ushered in the formal discipline of psychiatry. An onset before the age of 30 usually results in frequent, severe episodes. Psychosis is more common in this group and symptoms tend to linger between episodes. An onset after the age of 40 has a better prognosis.