ABSTRACT
Manic depression is often wrongly diagnosed in people with mercurial personalities who display decisive changes in mood but whose behavior is otherwise within the normal range. Before going on to characterize the phenomenon of manic-depression, a case will be made for how common the misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder really is. This chapter begins with the story of an adolescent boy who was brought to the ER by his mother following major changes in his behavior. The misdiagnosis of a mental illness in a vulnerable patient can jump-start a life of its own. Nothing in the DSM-IV or DSM-5 actively encourages clinicians to pursue the meanings and origins of mood alterations that are often wrongly diagnosed as bipolar I disorder. Moodiness and impulsivity, along with irritability and other negative emotions, have come to be known as "soft bipolar" symptoms. Adults are expected to have acquired sufficient control to maintain the behavioral expression of their emotions, within certain boundaries.
