Where can I learn more about bipolar disorder?
I take lithium and a few other meds for bipolar. I’ve read alot about it but would like to learn more.
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Layperson’s Definition of Manic Depression
One textbook definition describes bipolar disorder as: "a major affective disorder in which an individual alternates between states of deep depression and extreme elation." This is misleading in that bipolar disorder – also known as manic depression or manic-depressive illness – is much more complicated than just alternating between depression and elation.
The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (commonly known as DSM-IV because it is in its fourth major edition) says, "Bipolar Disorder is characterized by the occurrence of one or more Major Depressive Episodes accompanied by at least one Manic Episode." So even if you’re depressed 99 percent of the time, going through just one manic episode qualifies you for a diagnosis of bipolar disorder according to this definition – but that still leaves out a lot of what manic depression really is.
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