manic depressive illness
Noun: A mental disorder characterized by recurring, alternating episodes of mania (a state of abnormally elevated mood, energy, and activity) and depression (a state of persistent low mood and loss of interest).
This is a clinical, diagnostic term used in psychiatry and psychology. It describes a specific pattern of mood disturbance. * The psychiatrist diagnosed him with manic depressive illness. * Effective treatments exist for manic depressive illness, including mood stabilizers and psychotherapy. * Her research focuses on the genetic factors associated with manic depressive illness.
- The term is often used interchangeably with bipolar disorder in modern clinical contexts, though "bipolar disorder" is now the more commonly preferred diagnostic term.
- It can be specified by type, e.g., manic depressive illness, type I (with full manic episodes) or type II (with hypomanic, or less severe manic, episodes and major depressive episodes).
- Bipolar Disorder (n): The contemporary diagnostic term that has largely superseded "manic depressive illness." It encompasses the same core pattern of manic and depressive episodes.
- Manic-Depressive (adj/n): Can function as an adjective (e.g., ) or, less formally, as a noun to refer to a person with the illness.
- Cyclothymia (n): A related but milder chronic mood disorder involving numerous periods of hypomanic and depressive symptoms.
- Bipolar disorder
- Manic-depressive psychosis (an older clinical term)
- Bipolar affective disorder
While "manic depressive illness" is a precise clinical term, its use in non-clinical settings can sometimes carry historical stigma. The shift toward the term "bipolar disorder" was partly to use more neutral, descriptive language. The core meaning remains the cyclical experience of two extreme emotional "poles": mania and depression.
- a mental disorder characterized by episodes of mania and depression