Why Did Manic Depression Become Bipolar Disorder?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAncient OriginsBipolar Disorder vs. Manic DepressionTypes of Bipolar DisorderRecent FindingsFrequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Ancient Origins

Bipolar Disorder vs. Manic Depression

Types of Bipolar Disorder

Recent Findings

Frequently Asked Questions

Close

The term manic depression was changed to bipolar disorder with the 1980 publication of the third revision of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.“The termsmanicandmanic-depressivehad become highly stigmatized, so changing the label to something more clinical was intended to help minimize negative attitudes toward the condition.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), around 2.8% of adults in the U.S. have bipolar disorder.

The phrase “manic depression” has its origins rooted in ancient Greece, where the term was used as early as the first century to describe symptoms of mental illness.

In 1902, Emil Kraepelin organized and classified what used to be thought of as unitary psychosis into two categories. Manic depression was the term he used to describe mental illnesses centered on emotional or mood problems.Dementia praecox, literally meaning “premature madness,” and later renamedschizophrenia, was his title for mental illnesses derived from thought or cognitive problems.

In the early 1950s, Karl Leonhard introduced the termbipolarto differentiate unipolar depression (major depressive disorder) from bipolar depression. In 1980, with the publication of the third edition of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (DSM), the termmanic depressionwas officially changed in the classification system tobipolar disorder.

The Types of Bipolar Episodes

In the last few decades, the medical profession, and psychiatry specifically, has made a concerted effort to shift the vernacular to the official DSM diagnostic term of bipolar disorder. There are a number of reasons cited for this shift, including:

There are three types of bipolar disorder recognized in DSM-5.They include:

The Different Classifications of Bipolar Disorder

In addition to changing how the disorder is classified in the DSM, researchers have developed a better understanding of how the symptoms present in different populations. For example, while the condition affects men and women at approximately the same rates, they may experience symptoms differently.

Men tend to experience more severe mood episodesand are more likely to also have a comorbid substance use disorder. Women tend to cycle between manic and depressive episodes more frequently and experience more depressive episodes.

There is no cure for the condition, but treatments have emerged that can help people manage their symptoms effectively.

Medications used to treat bipolar disorder include a variety of psychotropic drugs, includinganticonvulsants, antipsychotics, antidepressants, andbenzodiazepines. Psychotherapy is also often used alongside medication and can includedialectical behavioral therapy(DBT),cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT), and others.

It has been revised a number of times since its introduction in 1952. The most recent major revision happened with the 2013 publication of the DSM-5, with a text revision known as the DSM-5-TR published in 2022.

Learn More:An Overview of the DSM

No, the two conditions share some similar symptoms, but they are distinct diagnoses. Depressive episodes that occur in bipolar disorder feature symptoms of depression. Unlike clinical depression, bipolar disorder involves cycling between depression and mania or hypomania.Learn More:Depression vs. Bipolar Disorder: What’s the Difference?

No, the two conditions share some similar symptoms, but they are distinct diagnoses. Depressive episodes that occur in bipolar disorder feature symptoms of depression. Unlike clinical depression, bipolar disorder involves cycling between depression and mania or hypomania.

Learn More:Depression vs. Bipolar Disorder: What’s the Difference?

Bipolar disorder is believed to have a significant genetic link. Research has shown that people who have a parent with bipolar disorder have a 10 times greater risk of developing the condition.Other factors that may play a role include brain structure, brain injury, stress, trauma, substance use, and hormonal changes.Learn More:Will My Child Inherit Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is believed to have a significant genetic link. Research has shown that people who have a parent with bipolar disorder have a 10 times greater risk of developing the condition.Other factors that may play a role include brain structure, brain injury, stress, trauma, substance use, and hormonal changes.

Bipolar disorder is believed to have a significant genetic link. Research has shown that people who have a parent with bipolar disorder have a 10 times greater risk of developing the condition.

Other factors that may play a role include brain structure, brain injury, stress, trauma, substance use, and hormonal changes.

Learn More:Will My Child Inherit Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar Disorder Treatment

6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Mason BL, Brown ES, Croarkin PE.Historical underpinnings of bipolar disorder diagnostic criteria.Behav Sci (Basel). 2016;6(3). doi:10.3390/bs6030014National Institute of Mental Health.Bipolar disorder.Ebert A, Bär KJ. Emil Kraepelin:A pioneer of scientific understanding of psychiatry and psychopharmacology.Indian J Psychiatry. 2010;52(2):191-2. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.64591American Psychiatric Association.What are bipolar disorders?American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR); 2022. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787Harrison PJ, Geddes JR, Tunbridge EM.The emerging neurobiology of bipolar disorder.Trends Neurosci; 41(1):18-30.

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Mason BL, Brown ES, Croarkin PE.Historical underpinnings of bipolar disorder diagnostic criteria.Behav Sci (Basel). 2016;6(3). doi:10.3390/bs6030014National Institute of Mental Health.Bipolar disorder.Ebert A, Bär KJ. Emil Kraepelin:A pioneer of scientific understanding of psychiatry and psychopharmacology.Indian J Psychiatry. 2010;52(2):191-2. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.64591American Psychiatric Association.What are bipolar disorders?American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR); 2022. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787Harrison PJ, Geddes JR, Tunbridge EM.The emerging neurobiology of bipolar disorder.Trends Neurosci; 41(1):18-30.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Mason BL, Brown ES, Croarkin PE.Historical underpinnings of bipolar disorder diagnostic criteria.Behav Sci (Basel). 2016;6(3). doi:10.3390/bs6030014National Institute of Mental Health.Bipolar disorder.Ebert A, Bär KJ. Emil Kraepelin:A pioneer of scientific understanding of psychiatry and psychopharmacology.Indian J Psychiatry. 2010;52(2):191-2. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.64591American Psychiatric Association.What are bipolar disorders?American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR); 2022. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787Harrison PJ, Geddes JR, Tunbridge EM.The emerging neurobiology of bipolar disorder.Trends Neurosci; 41(1):18-30.

Mason BL, Brown ES, Croarkin PE.Historical underpinnings of bipolar disorder diagnostic criteria.Behav Sci (Basel). 2016;6(3). doi:10.3390/bs6030014

National Institute of Mental Health.Bipolar disorder.

Ebert A, Bär KJ. Emil Kraepelin:A pioneer of scientific understanding of psychiatry and psychopharmacology.Indian J Psychiatry. 2010;52(2):191-2. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.64591

American Psychiatric Association.What are bipolar disorders?

American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR); 2022. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787

Harrison PJ, Geddes JR, Tunbridge EM.The emerging neurobiology of bipolar disorder.Trends Neurosci; 41(1):18-30.

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