It is estimated that as many as fifty percent of patients initially diagnosed with major Unipolar depression (UP, MDD) will subsequently incur a manic episode or discover a past subtle episode and will have had Bipolar depression rather than MDD. The average Bipolar individual suffers with episodic symptoms for ten years before receiving an accurate diagnosis. As many as 16 million individuals in the United States will have a Bipolar episode in their lives, diagnosed or not. With the recognition of these growing numbers of patients with a Bipolar Disorder, it is imperative that patients are diagnosed and treated earlier, accurately and efficiently. Untreated Bipolar usually gets worse.

Bipolar aims to improve recognition, acceptance, and compliance. Dr. C. Raymond Lake applies two different approaches , comprehensive research and case studies, to the understanding of Bipolar Disorders, presenting basic, selected Bipolar data including history, diagnostic criteria, definitions of terms, and classifications, as well as management and treatment strategies to help the reader fully comprehend the disorder. In addition, case studies provide the reader with real-life examples to help increase recognition of various Bipolar presentations beyond the stark black-and-white diagnostic criteria of the DSM and ICD.