Also known as manic depression (dated), bipolar affective disorder is a severe, debilitating psychiatric illness characterised by alternating periods of elevated mood and energy levels (mania or, if milder, hypomania) and lowered mood and energy levels (depression). It runs on a continuum from subsyndrominal to extremely severe but is generally regarded as one of the more serious mental illnesses, esp. in its classic form (type I). During severe manic or depressive episodes (particularly the former), psychosis may emerge, often making it indistinguishable to schizophrenia. Often trivialised in popular culture and trivialised as "just mood swings", it is, in actual fact, one of the most severe psychological conditions and hell on Earth for those who genuinely suffer from this devastating disease, as well as for those around them.
Bipolar disorder is a cruel affliction.
by Doc_B April 13, 2015
The state of suffering a severe psychiatric disease which causes extremely abnormal behaviour or loss of touch with reality (psychosis), most commonly associated with schizophrenia and bipolar illness (the manic phase).
by Doc_B April 13, 2015
Also referred to as major depressive disorder, major depression, unipolar disorder or simply depression, this illness is a psychiatric condition marked by severe feelings of despondency and dejection, typically accompanied by changes in eating and sleeping habits, anhedonia (loss of interest), fatigue, somatic pain and, at the extreme, suicide ideation. Also occurs in bipolar disorder (depressed phase).
Clinical depression is a serious mental illness and quite different to the ordinary sadness we all experience from time to time.
by Doc_B April 14, 2015
The state of suffering a severe mental disorder, typically in which the afflicted individual can no longer differentiate between reality and fantasy (psychosis).
by Doc_B April 16, 2015
A general state of emotional and psychological well-being, as manifest by the ability to cope with and meet the demands of everyday life.
by Doc_B April 14, 2015
A rarely diagnosed mental condition in which negative emotional experiences (from annoyance to extreme rage) are triggered by specific sounds, which can be either loud or soft. Nose sniffling, eating and breathing noises and tapping are all examples of trigger sounds for people suffering from this illness.
by Doc_B April 15, 2015
A mental illness marked by extreme aversion to certain soft sounds, such as eating noises and nose sniffling. The condition is newly-defined and rarely diagnosed.
by Doc_B May 01, 2015