This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.

Bipolar disorder stands as one of the most misunderstood mental health conditions of our time, affecting millions of people worldwide yet remaining shrouded in misconceptions and stigma. Far from the casual use of the term that has entered popular culture, true bipolar disorder represents a serious medical condition characterized by extreme shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels that significantly impact daily functioning and quality of life.

The condition, formerly known as manic-depressive illness, involves distinct episodes of mania or hypomania alternating with periods of depression. These are not simply good days and bad days that everyone experiences, but rather profound alterations in brain chemistry and function that can last for weeks or months at a time. During manic episodes, individuals may experience elevated or irritable mood, increased energy, decreased need for sleep, grandiose thinking, rapid speech, and poor judgment. Conversely, depressive episodes bring feelings of sadness, hopelessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and sometimes thoughts of death or suicide.

The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that approximately 2.8 percent of adults in the United States experience bipolar disorder in any given year, with nearly 83 percent of cases classified as severe. The condition typically emerges in late adolescence or early adulthood, though it can manifest at any age. Unlike unipolar depression, which affects twice as many women as men, bipolar disorder affects men and women equally, suggesting different underlying biological mechanisms.