bipolar disorder

American  

noun

Psychiatry.

bipolar disorders plural

1. an affective disorder characterized by periods of mania alternating with periods of depression, usually interspersed with relatively long intervals of normal mood.

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bipolar disorder British  

noun

1. a mental health problem characterized by an alternation between extreme euphoria and deep depression

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bipolar disorder Scientific  

1. Any of several mood disorders usually characterized by periods of depression that alternate with mania.

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bipolar disorder Cultural  

1. Also known as manic-depressive illness. This psychiatric disorder is marked by periods of euphoric (manic) highs often followed by periods of depression.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bipolar disorders
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bipolar disorder

Berk raised a series of text messages where Hernandez suggested she had bipolar disorder, but Olmedo froze that line of questioning as well.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

But Oddie had always been prone to bouts of depression and he was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder - which he occasionally blamed on his remote relationship with his mother.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

A third trial involving people with bipolar disorder also showed no improvement.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 30, 2026

According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, bipolar disorder is a treatable mental health condition marked by extreme changes in mood, thought, energy and behavior.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

By analyzing families that possessed intergenerational histories of mental illness, the study found striking evidence that bipolar disorder and schizophrenia shared a strong genetic link.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee