History of Bipolar Disorder

Time Line

400BC

150 AD

Aretaus of Cappadocia suggests mania is variation of melancholia, observes patients with fits mania and melancholy.

1583

Chinese writer Gao Lian describes bipolar disorder in book, argues importance of avoiding stress.

1600's

1899

After publishing "Sepuchretum", Theophilus Bonet is the first to link mania and melancholy as the one condition.

Emil Kraeplin introduces "manic depressive" term into psychiatric textbooks and describes role of family history, episodic nature of illness, and environmental stresses

Hippocrates describes condition as "melancholy", believes depression is result of excess black bile, yellow bile with "mania".

Australian doctor John Cade discovers the use of lithium as an effective treatment.

1980

1994

1952

1949

2013

Contemporary bipolar diagnostic criteria and sub-types are defined in DSM including a diagnosis of Bipolar II in its own right.

The DSM uses "bipolar disorder" and distinguishes between adult and pediatric bipolar disorder.

DSM is updated to include changes in activity and energy for manic and hypomanic episodes. "Mixed features" specifier also added when depressive features are present.

German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard first uses "bipolar term", distinguishes between unipolar and bipolar depression. Manic depression first appears in DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).

Timeline of Bipolar Disorderby Kurt Johnson

What it's like

A History Lesson

What is it?

Common Misconceptions