Is Bipolar Disorder a Circadian Rhythm Disorder?

More than just a mood disorder? The link between manic-depressive illness and the amount of light in the day.

The Frontier Psychiatrists is a health-themed newsletter. This article is both scientific and personal. It’s about circadian rhythms and whatever bipolar disorder turns out to be. I will use Manic-Depressive Illness and Bipolar Disorder interchangeably in this writing… please consider subscribing! I am trying to stick the landing with a resource section at the end—feedback on that is welcome.

Manic-Depressive Illness was the name for what we now call Bipolar Disorder. I am not a fan of this rebranding. I don’t get to make the rules—the “branding” of psychiatric conditions is a product of the American Psychiatric Association, which is responsible for the publishing and subsequent royalties on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for the Diagnosis of Mental Disorders, now in its 5th edition with a Text Revision. It’s the DSM-5. It’s a best seller. This column is not about that topic.

Bipolar Disorder and Cycles of Day and Night.

My early life was marked by feeling bad, and I was