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Mania May Be a Mental Illness in Its Own Right
Article

Mania May Be a Mental Illness in Its Own Right

Hundreds of thousands of people experience mania without ever getting depressed. Why does psychiatry insist on calling them bipolar?

Scientific American, 2019 更多详情


Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Scientific
  • Engaging

Recommendation

Bipolar disorder is a widely recognized condition. So is depression, its darker side. Yet unlike depression, mania – the “upside” of bipolar disorder – is still not officially classified as an illness in its own right, despite hundreds of thousands of people experiencing episodes of mania without ever falling into depression. This poses problems when attempting to effectively treat unipolar mania, as it is called. Science writer Simon Makin investigates what is known about unipolar mania, why there is a reluctance about categorizing it as a “stand-alone” illness and the problems its unclassified status causes for treatment and research. The article will challenge physicians, pharmacists and anyone concerned with the diagnosis and impact of mental illness.

Take-Aways

  • Thousands of people experience mania, the “upside” of bipolar disorder, without ever falling into depression.
  • While depression has its own distinct diagnosis, mania is still only seen as one side of bipolar disorder.
  • Diversity of symptoms, funding conditions and methodological problems prevent unipolar mania from getting its own diagnosis.

About the Author

Simon Makin is a freelance science writer based in London.


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