History and Terminology
This French psychiatrist coined the term folie circulaire (circular insanity) in 1854 to describe a cyclic mood illness.
Who is Jean-Pierre Falret?
This element is often the first-line and most studied mood stabilizer, known to reduce suicide risk.
What is Litium?
Bipolar disorder has one of the highest comorbidity rates with this type of disorder, often used in a self-medication attempt.
What is Substance Use Disorder (SUD)?
A speech pattern characterized by fast, uninterrupted talking where ideas jump from one topic to the next, often seen in mania.
What is Flight of Ideas?
The type characterized by full manic episodes and major depressive episodes.
What is Bipolar I Disorder?
The term used for Bipolar Disorder in the early 20th century by psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin, unifying mania and depression.
What is Manic-Depressive Insanity (or Illness)?
This class of medications, including Lamotrigine (Lamictal) and Valproate (Depakote), was originally developed to treat seizures.
What are Anticonvulsants or Anti-epileptic Drugs?
This term describes the co-occurrence of Bipolar Disorder and an anxiety disorder, such as Panic Disorder or Social Phobia.
What is Comorbidity?
This term describes a decrease in the ability to experience pleasure, a classic symptom of a depressive episode.
What is Anhedonia?
This type involves at least one hypomanic episode and a major depressive episode, but never a full manic one.
What is Bipolar II Disorder?
In ancient Greece, Hippocrates referred to the extremely low mood as this, literally meaning "black bile."
What is Melancholia?
Antidepressant monotherapy is generally avoided in Bipolar I disorder due to the risk of triggering this.
What is a Manic or Hypomanic Episode (or Switch)?
Experiencing this type of environmental trauma, such as childhood abuse or neglect, is often associated with an earlier onset and more severe course of Bipolar Disorder.
What is Childhood Trauma?
Symptoms of mania that are so severe they involve a break from reality, such as hallucinations or delusions.
What are Psychotic Features?
A milder, chronic form of the disorder involving many periods of hypomanic and depressive symptoms over at least two years.
What is Cyclothymic Disorder?
The specific revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in which the term Bipolar Disorder first officially replaced "Manic-Depressive Illness."
What is the DSM-III (1980)?
The common term for a narrow range between the effective dose and the toxic dose of a medication, especially relevant for Lithium.
What is a Narrow Therapeutic Index?
A Rapid Cycling course of Bipolar Disorder is defined as having at least this many mood episodes within a single year.
What are four?
The clinical term for symptoms that are present during a mood episode but do not meet the full criteria for a mixed episode, like depression with manic-like energy.
What are Mixed Features?
The manual published by the American Psychiatric Association used to diagnose this and other mental health conditions.
What is the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition)?
The medical term for the patient's lack of insight or unawareness that they are ill, a common feature during acute manic episodes.
What is Anosognosia?
Medications like Quetiapine (Seroquel) and Lurasidone (Latuda) belong to this class and are used to treat both manic and depressive phases.
What are Atypical (or Second-Generation) Antipsychotics?
This specific type of substance is most commonly misused by individuals with Bipolar Disorder.
What is Alcohol?
A severe and potentially life-threatening side effect of some mood stabilizers (like Lamotrigine) involving a rash that spreads rapidly.
What is Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS)?
A rapid cycling pattern is defined by experiencing this many distinct mood episodes in a 12-month period.
What are four or more?