Introduction                                        

For the greater part of history,  mental disorders was considered to be supernatural and the work of evil spirits. Fortunately, times have moved on and  we now know, that this is not the case, but there are still many misconceptions surrounding them.                       

A  mental illness is just that-an illness, that is no more the fault of the sufferer than a broken leg. Many people do not realise this-I know I didn't, and so sufferers are faced with scorn and disgust, not the love and empathy that is deserved and much needed. Mental disorders are not understood, so are feared and rejected in society. I hope to clear up the misunderstanding.

Mental disorders fall into two categories:

• Neuroses :- normal thoughts or feelings are exaggerated to such a degree that they interfere with everyday life. The sufferer is always aware of disorder and effects. Neuroses accounts for nearly 2/3 of all mental illnesses in Britain. Anxiety and mild bouts of depression are the most common.
• Psychoses :- major mental problems ( 'psychotics = mad' ). The sufferer is out of touch with reality and cannot function in society. Illness is apparent to outsiders but may be unrealised by the sufferer and so is unlikely to seek help and treatment. Manic depression (bipolar), recurrent severe depression and schizophrenia are the most common. 

Bipolar disorder is the medical name for the more commonly know manic depressive disorder. It is a brain disorder that disrupts life via unusual and abnormal shifts in mood, energy and functioning, in the form of episodes of mania and depression. This is a serious disorder and is much more serious than it sounds. It is thought that up to 25% of the population will suffer from bouts of depression, some time in their lifetime but for a minority, it is not simply a case of cheering themselves up to get better.  As little is known about this disease, many sufferers can go through their whole life without realising that they do infact have a disease and not just everyday "ups and downs".

Although a minority of sufferers - about 1-2% of the population suffer from this, each and every one of the statistics is a real person and I hope to show you what a dreadful and dangerous this disorder is.

Bipolar  disorder typically develops in adolescence and early adulthood but can be present through early childhood and it is becoming greatly recognized. Doctors were wary of diagnosing in early childhood but it is becoming more acceptable to society. Bipolar can affect anyone but most studies show that women are more at risk.

Emil Kraepelin (1856-1926) a German 
psychiatrist, born in Neustrelitz, established
the categories of manic depressive 
psychosis. Emil was the first to distinguish
the difference between bipolar and schizophrenia. He is a very important figure in the history of this disease as up until his theory, Bipolar was still thought of as work of demons. 

The bipolar categories are:

• In Bipolar I Disorder, the sufferer has manic or mixed episodes and almost always has depressions as well.  It is likely that you will go on in the future to have episodes of depression, as well as mania-unless you get effective treatment.
• In Bipolar II Disorder, the sufferer has only hypo manic and depressive episodes, not full manic or mixed episodes. This type is often hard to recognize because hypo mania may seem "supernormal," especially if the person feels happy and has lots of energy. Hypo mania is often overlooked and treatment only for depression is sought. Unfortunately, if the only medication received is an antidepressant, there is a risk that the medication may trigger a "high" or set off more frequent cycles.
• In Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder, a sufferer has at least four episodes per year, in any combination of manic, hypo manic, mixed, or depressive episodes. This course pattern is seen in approximately 5%-15% of patients with bipolar disorder. It sometimes results from "chasing" depressions too hard with antidepressants, which may trigger a high, followed by a crash.
• Schizoaffective Disorder: This term is used to describe a condition that in some ways overlaps with bipolar disorder. In addition to mania or depression, there are persistent psychotic symptoms (hallucinations or delusions) during times when mood symptoms are under control. In contrast, in bipolar disorder, any psychotic symptoms that occur during severe episodes of mania or depression end as mood returns to normal.