History of Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression)

The bipolar disorder is known by various names such as manic depressive disorder, manic depression and bipolar affective disorder. The disorder is characterized by two extreme conditions, the abnormal elevation of mood known as mania and extreme depression. This condition of the patient is separated by intermittent periods of a 'normal' mood.

Many scientists, psychiatrists, and physicians from different countries have researched on this mental illness in historic as well as modern times. It took time for people to understand the difference between bipolar disorder and other mental disorders. The reason behind this, is the similarity in symptoms exhibited by the patient with bipolar disorder and the other diseases. It was only in 1980, that bipolar disorder in children was established as a separate disease from that in adults. Since the disorder is also known as manic depressive disorder, it is necessary to find out the history of the words 'depression' and 'mania'. Melancholia, a Greek word for depression, is formed of two words 'melas' and 'chole', which mean 'black' and 'bile' respectively. The black bile juice thus, was considered to be responsible for depression. The yellow bile juice was considered to be the cause behind mania. Although the origin of the word, 'mania' is not clearly understood, according to Caelius Aurelianus a Roman physician, it is formed of two words, 'ania' which means mental anguish and 'manos', a word that describes a loose or relaxed state of mind.

History of Bipolar Disorder

Earlier, in the 2nd century, 'mania' and 'melancholia' were considered to be the symptoms of two different diseases. Soranus, a physician from Greece supported this view. It was only after the studies conducted by Chinese authors, that bipolar disorder was considered as a separate disease. Gao Lian, an encyclopedist has written about the disease in his book, Eight Treatises on the Nurturing of Life.

Most of the information available on manic depression today, comes from the works of Aretaeus, a Greek Physician, who lived between 30 and 150 A.D., in the city of Alexandria. He has contributed a lot to the study of manic depression as a unified concept. According to Aretaeus, the primary cause behind the bipolar disorder is the 'black bile'.

Avicenna from Persia differentiated the bipolar disorder from other mental disorders such as schizophrenia and mania.

The modern concepts related to manic depression developed during the 1850s. On 31st January, 1854, Jules Baillarger presented information about the bipolar disorder before the 'French Imperial Academy of Medicine'. Baillarger used the term 'dual-form insanity' to describe the bipolar disorder. In the same year, on 14th February, Jean-Pierre described the characteristics of bipolar disorder. Felret introduced a new term 'circular insanity', for bipolar disorder. Andreas Marneros of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany studied these concepts. In the year 2001, he declared the concepts as the "rebirth of bipolarity in the modern era".

Emil Kraepelin (1856-1926), a psychiatrist from Germany studied the behavior of people with bipolar disorder. In his studies, Kraepelin found that a bipolar disorder patient shows symptoms such as mania and depression; however, phases of these symptoms are followed by stress-free or normal phases. He is credited with the conceptualized of bipolar disorder in modern times.

Research in the field of developing medicine for bipolar disorder started after World War II. A psychiatrist from Melbourne, Australia, Dr. John Cade discovered the use of Lithium Carbonate in the treatment of this disorder.

Many famous personalities like Goethe, Leo Tolstoy, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill suffered from bipolar disorder. The above fact states that inspite of suffering from bipolar disorder, people have made it big in life!