A Few Startling Figures about Bipolar Depression

In an article called Bipolar Depression, our friend and colleague John McManamy talks about the psychiatric community's "realization that depression rather than mania is the dominant partner in manic-depressive illness (bipolar disorder)."

The figures are fascinating. John quotes one study that found bipolar I patients were depressed more than twice as much as manic, hypomanic or mixed; bipolar II patients were depressed 50 percent of the time in a period of more than 13 years, and hypomanic just 1 percent of the time.

John's article has a great deal more information. The best thing about these studies is that they are leading researchers to recognize that treatments specifically designed for bipolar depression are needed.