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Synonyms

manic depression

British  

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

Though manic depression, manic-depressive are still often used by the general public, they are seen as having negative connotations. The preferred terms nowadays are bipolar disorder and experiencing bipolar disorder

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

It used to be known as manic depression, and symptoms include episodes of:

From BBC Mar. 18, 2024

Lichtenstein, who runs a media production company in Boston, was an investigative reporter for ABC News when he fell ill with manic depression in 1986.

From Seattle Times Nov. 20, 2023

He was “struggling with manic depression when he died,” according to a news release provided to The Times.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 17, 2023

Years after her diagnosis, and by then on the faculty of Johns Hopkins, she decided to tell the story of her manic depression.

From New York Times May 22, 2023

We can’t go back in time and diagnose him, but from here it looks like a form of epilepsy or, most likely, the beginnings of bipolar disorder, which is also known as manic depression.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

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