Bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression) is a disease; it is a medical condition that causes psychological problems to such a degree that daily functioning is hampered by the symptoms. The most prominent symptoms include extremes of mood known as depression and mania. These emotional extremes are usually beyond normal responses to events and often last for extended periods of time. Psychosis and suicide are also concerns for those diagnosed with this disorder.

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.

What Causes bipolar disorder?

Most scientists believe that mental illnesses are caused by a combination of factorsr. In bipolar disorder, these factors are usually divided into biological and psychological causes. In plain English, the main reasons mental illness develops are physical (biological) and environmental.