ABSTRACT
Depressive states outside melancholia are considered on a case-by-case basis, and the same can largely be said for periods of elation and exuberance. Despite the fact that the label of manic-depressive psychosis is used in clinical presentations, there seem to be no real distinguishing features beyond the standard conceptualizations of foreclosure and mania. And this brings people to their first problem. The manic-depressive subject somehow never quite believes in the role they are playing out, yet this view may be the result of other factors. The lability of beliefs, which indicates to them the absence of delusional fixity, may simply be a consequence of the need to keep the other present, alive and out of danger. To conclude, author has done best to sketch out some possible differences between manic-depressive psychosis and the other forms people are familiar with. It seems important to distinguish real mania from the many varieties of excitement and elation that can be mistaken for it.
