Hewlett-Packard | Psychological Disorders | Bipolar Disorder | | Misty Whitehead | BEH/225 |

Bipolar disorder is one of the oldest mental illnesses documented, although it has not been substantiated as a mental illness until the last 60 or so years. |

Bipolar disorder was first known as manic depressive. According to “Bipolar” 1995, the symptoms of this disorder have been found to be mentioned in ancient writings as early as the second century. However, the disorder was not substantiated until the year 1650 after scientist Richard Burton wrote the book The Anatomy of Melancholia. Later in 1854 Jules Falret was able to link depression and suicide through his research. Falret’s work led him to recognize the term bipolar disorder through the links of depression lows in the mood and heightened points in the mood. In 1875 Falret found that this disorder was different than simple depression and later termed the disorder as manic depressive psychosis and that this was a real psychiatric disorder. Falret was also the first scientist to determine that there was a genetic link to the disorder. The disorder did not receive its own classification from other mental disorders of the time until Francois Baillarger characterized the depressive phase of the disorder. Later in 1913 Emily Krapelin began using the term manic-depressive. She completed an extensive study around the disorder explaining the phase of depression extensively and touching a little on the manic phase. This research led to the disorder being accepted and it was becoming the prevailing theory of the early 1930’s. In 1952 the genetic links to the disorder were published in an article within The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disorder: helping citizens understand that individuals with a family history of bipolar disorder were more likely to be stricken with the disorder. Individuals with