A 35-year-old member asked:
Can you tell me about the difference between manic depression and bipolar disorder?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Heidi Fowleranswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Manic Depression is: An older term for bipolar disorder.
4.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Similar questions
A 50-year-old member asked:
Can any doc tell me what's the difference between manic depression and bipolar disorder?
1 doctor answer • 4 doctors weighed in
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 43 years experience
Same thing: Manic depression is an older term for bipolar disorder. They describe the same illness.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
San Jose, CA
A 20-year-old female asked:
I am experiencing mania and bipolar disorder (manic depression).
1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Heidi Fowleranswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Mania: I am not sure what your question is. However, if you are experiencing uncontrolled mania, it is very important for you to see your psychotropic medication provider as soon as possible. It is very important that this come under control.
193 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
What can you do to tell the difference between depression and bipolar type 2?
2 doctor answers • 8 doctors weighed in
Dr. Heidi Fowleranswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Unipolar vs bipolar: What most people refer to as clinical depression is a unipolar depression. This means that they may have normal states of energy and mood when they are not depressed. Bipolar type ii disorder has periods of clinical depression. Additionally the individual has periods of high energy level & mood. Hope this helps.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
What are the differences between bipolar disorder and manic depression?
2 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Lynne Weixelanswered
Clinical Psychology 37 years experience
The decade's DSM: About a century ago it all began and much is the same, but for boundary lines. Few use the M-D term now but otherwise the differences are hard to lock in. Some BPs only show depression, but varying sorts of elevated periods can be there and they can be just very active or irritably violent. Extremely intense episodes come close to, or are, a psychosis. Good treatment (Therapy+) really helps.
3.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
For what reasons was the term manic-depression changed to bipolar disorder?
1 doctor answer • 5 doctors weighed in
Dr. Heidi Fowleranswered
Psychiatry 26 years experience
Good reasons: Here is a complete answer to your question: http://bipolar.About.Com/od/definingbipolardisorder/a/manic_depression_changes_names.Htm. Manic – depression was used to describe many types of conditions, not just those falling under the bipolar spectrum disorder umbrella. It was a stigmatizing label. The diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorders are sharply defined & the term is less pejorative.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Jul 10, 2016
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