21 Important Bipolar Facts

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published October 4, 2025

Historical figures with suspected bipolar disorder are Winston Churchill, George Handel, Lord Byron, Virginia Woolf, Edgar Allan Poe, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Vincent van Gogh._[2]
Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, causes extreme mood swings, including emotional highs and lows._[1]
There are several types of bipolar disorder, including Bipolar 1, Bipolar II, Cyclothymic Disorder, and other specified forms._[2]
Bipolar disorder involves more than mania. It also includes hypomania and depression._[2]

An estimated 2.4% of people around the world have had a diagnosis of bipolar disorder at some point

Approximately 2% of the U.S. adult population suffers from some type of bipolar disorder. Including milder forms of the illness, or soft bipolar (cyclothymia or other specified bipolar disorder), the number rises to 5%._[2]
Bipolar can occur in children as young as six. Whereas adults experience intense moods for weeks or months at a time, children may swing between depression and mania several times a day._[2]
Bipolar disorder can be effectively treated and managed. For example, over 30% of bipolar patients will recover completely, and 40% will experience noticeable reduction of symptoms._[2]
Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates (460-370 BC) documented two extreme moods: "melancholia" (sadness) and mania. For Hippocrates, moods were a result of bile._[3]

A bipolar mixed episode is when mania and depression occur at the same time or in rapid sequence without recovery in between

Sometimes some people suffering from bipolar disorder feel highs and lows at the same time, which is known as mixed mania and mixed state._[3]
Ancient Greek physician Aretaeus of Cappadocia (1st century AD) was among the first to describe the concept of a mood spectrum in the 1st century. He was the first to determine that a problem the brain caused melancholia and mania._[3]
The length of each high and low in a bipolar disorder varies greatly from person to person._[3]
Those with bipolar disorder are more likely to suffer from obesity and heart disease._[3]
While most people show signs of bipolar disorder around the age of 25, it can occur in children and in teenagers._[3]
Bipolar symptoms are more likely to increase during pregnancy and especially after childbirth._[3]
Bipolar is a lifelong condition, which makes following a treatment plan and living a healthy lifestyle important._[3]

During a depressive episode, men are more likely to be irritable and aggressive

Approximately 25% of those with bipolar have not sought treatment._[2]
German psychiatrist Karl Leonard was the first to introduce the term bipolar in 1957, which helped distinguish it from unipolar depression._[2]
There are two types of bipolar disorder. Bipolar 1 has more severe manic episodes. Bipolar 2 has less severe manic episodes._[2]
Although symptoms of bipolar wax and wane, the disorder does not go away on its own and requires a lifetime of treatment._[2]
If left untreated, bipolar can cause job loss, family disruption, and even suicide._[2]
Around 69% of people who suffer from bipolar are initially misdiagnosed with another mental illness; the most common is depression._[4]