Questions:

Is bipolar disorder now officially considered to be Manic Depression, misinterpreted?
Do doctors misdiagnose? Many people I know have strong feelings about the disease, saying that because of what doctors are saying, pretty much anybody/everybody has it. How is it specifically classified? My boyfriend has it, and ever since we met he thought that I had it, too.

I just need some more understanding of the disease. I understand it fairly well because of living with my boyfriend, but I want some more facts, not what it's like. Thanks.

Bipolar disorder is the PC way of saying manic/depression.

There's a genetic link, so it may be inherited, but it's hard to figure out because other genes may cause symptoms that cluster with bipolar.

I wouldn't put too much stock in your boyfriend or any other lay person deciding you're bipolar. Only a qualified health care professional can make that diagnosis, and even they are very slow and careful about labelling anyone.

Think of it this way. Take an entirely different disorder, for example. Take alcoholism. Some people would say that anyone who uses alcohol is an alcoholic. Why? Because it's expensive, gives you bad breath, and is not necessary for nutrition. But others would say that unless alcohol is causing health, work, driving, legal or relationship problems, it is not a disease. Because of these varying views, it is best to rely on the informed opinion of health care specialists as to who is, or is not, an alcholic.

There are support groups who can help you understand and deal with (to the extent that you can deal with) the bipolar. If the bipolar person has no drug or alcohol addictions, these self-help groups can be really useful. But if the bipolar is addicted, you will find that he/she is almost impossible to deal with because of the rationalizations he/she creates to defend the continued use of the addictive substance.

Could I expect bipolar children with this man?
His family has history of depression on his mother's side, and my both sides of my family are all nuts. I'm a little nutty, too, apparently.
I mean, both me and my bf are regular joeschmoes and all and we can deal with everyday life, nothing terribly extreme, just the idea of having bipolar kids is scary, because I have a feeling it's going to happen.

If you google bipolar heritable you'll find lots of sites that discuss this.

Here is one.

http://massgeneral.org/depts/pediatricpsych/conferences/bipolar_2002/faraone.html

The answer seems to be 'yes', but not inevitably. It's not a terribly clear picture, though, because the genes that are associated with bipolar are also associated with other forms of mental distress.

It rather bothers me that you refer to yourself as 'nutty' and that your boyfriend has said you are bipolar. And by the way, no, not everybody has it. It only affects about 2% of the population. I think you should see a health professional and ask for an assessment.

Bipolar disorder is no joke, and it is not trivial. It is particularly hard for children with bipolar parents, whether or not the children themselves are bipolar. The bipolar parent is very vulnerable to stress and trauma, so that when distressing things happen, such as job loss, having to move house often, a death in the family, just when the parent should care for and buffer the child against the effect of the stress or loss, the parent falls apart, and is preoccupied with his/her own affects and emotions, and unable to consider anyone else's feelings or problems.

So children of people with illnesses may become depressed or anxious, not because they themselves have an illness, but as a result of having to deal with a parent who has an illness.

This depression and anxiety is not due to mental illness in such a case, but is a result of the mental illness of a parent.

Also living with someone who has an illness can be the cause of extreme stress, especially if one is trying to protect children from the effects of the partner's illness.

So you see you should only accept a diagnosis from a health care professional. You should not diagnose yourself, and you should not accept anyone else's diagnosis, even someone who him/herself has a specific disorder, that you have the disorder.

One ought to think long and hard before having a child if there is heritable illness on either side.

There are many names for the bipolar disorder. Names change frequently in psychology mostly depending on the theory you are applying. These two terms you mentioned are the same thing.

There are many different criteria used to diagnose this disorder and different kinds of manifestations of it. Every patient who is suspected of suffering such a condition should be carefuly evaluated by a psychologyst/ psychiatrist. There may be tendencies to a disorder without necessarly suffering from it.

The main criteria in order to make such a diagnose is that the person becomes unable to perform adequately in society for a period of time (when he is not under medication, usually) or permanently.

Let me know if you have more questions.
Hope this helps

Hey there again Carmen,
my husband and I are similar. He is called cyclothymic, which means he is not supposed to be as bipolar as the old m/d label was. His mania is typically irritability anymore, his depression is much more pronounced.
As for you being bipolar, probably more people are than are diagnosed. Reason, part of the definition is that you can't function if you are truly bipolar. So if you are for some reason able to get up and drag yourself off to work, they say well you can't be bipolar...you must be bipolar lite, cyclothymic, etc.
I myself have depression, no real mania about it that I can recognize. You may not be bipolar, but if you have some mood issues,--well, in my case being around another 'moodie' can make things more interesting. If I am feeling well and he is not, or visa versa all is well, but if we both cycle down together...you see.
If you both have mood disorders your kids have a huge chance of inheriting it. Read Kay Redfield Jameson's book, An Unquiet Mind. It is very good and I learned alot about what I was getting into with my husband.
I agree that you need a professional diagnosis if it comes to that for you--remember it is tough living with these magical people, and everyone gets caught up in their whirlwind somewhat, and it doesn't mean you're mood disordered yourself.
Wzlwmn

Hi,Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder characterized by alternating states of depression and mania that follow each other in a repeating cycle. People with bipolar disorder may cycle through these states quickly or may experience long periods of depression or mania. Often one mood state predominates, while the other occurs only infrequently or briefly.

Please note that this is not to be taken as medical advice. If you are seeking treatment, please contact your healthcare professional.