It has only been recently that the term “bipolar disorder” has been coined to represent what has always been a misunderstood condition.  The ancient Greeks knew of it, and the ancient Chinese even wrote about it in an encyclopedia.  Yet, it was only in 1957 that the terms “bipolar” and “unipolar” were even used.

By learning the history of bipolar disorder, it will help one to both understand and appreciate the many advancements that have been made in the field today.  The history of the disorder also provides hope for the advancements to be made in the future.

From Ancient Descriptions to the Modern Day Disease

Excluding the ancient Greeks and Chinese, not much research was done in the history of bipolar disorder until the 1950s.  In 1954, two French scientists separately presented their theories regarding a “biphasic mental illness” that consisted of reoccurring cycles of mania and depression.  One of these scientists, Jules Baillarger, called the illness folie a double forme (dual-form insanity).  The other scientist, Jean-Pierre Falret, referred to the condition as folie circulaire (circular insanity).

It was then that Emil Kraepelin, a German psychiatrist who lived from 1856-1926, began more thoroughly studying the disorder.  In 1902, Kraepelin monitored the natural progression of untreated bipolar patients.  In his notes, he described the patients using the term “manic depressive psychosis.”  This was the first time in the history of bipolar disorder that such a precise term had ever been used.

After World War II, an Australian psychiatrist named John Cade was the first to discover that lithium carbonate could be used to treat manic depressive psychosis.  At this time during the history of bipolar disorder, many experts feared that table salt substitutes were toxic or fatal; thus, it wasn’t until the 1950s that American hospitals experimented with this knowledge.  Lithium was finally approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1970.

In 1968, the condition was reclassified as an illness (manic depressive illness).  Recently, the term “bipolar disorder” has become more common.  Many prefer the older term because it is more accurate to describe the condition as an illness rather than a disorder.

Famous Sufferers of Bipolar Disorder Ion History

There were many famous people that displayed classic symptoms of bipolar disorder, even though they were never diagnosed or treated.  These historical sufferers of bipolar disorder include: Virginia Woolf, Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Leo Tolstoy, Ernest Hemmingway, and Abraham Lincoln.

A Promising Future

Though it took hundreds of years to research, classify, and treat bipolar disorder, we still have a long way to go before curing it.  Yet, the history of bipolar disorder provides the hope that long strides might be made in a short period of time. 

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