People with bipolar disorder and their loved ones have basically been told that the disorder is one of a chemical imbalance of the brain and/or a mood disorder characterized by extreme mood swings. However, bipolar disorder really is much more than that.

Thanks to a man named Aretaeus in the second century AD, bipolar disorder has very historical roots. Aretaeus was the first to believe that the manic and depressive symptoms he saw in certain people were linked.

Bipolar disorder is not only mental, or having to do with your mind, but is physiological as well, because it can also affect your body.

Bipolar disorder is often considered a neurological problem since it is associated with your brain, it can also be termed a chemical imbalance of the brain, which is a physical disorder, instead.

Scientists are studying the genes that may cause bipolar disorder and will prove the disorder has biological roots. If they are successful in finding the specific gene or genes involved in the disorder, it may eventually lead to a cure for the disorder. As with any other medical issue, there is still great debate in the scientific community, and there is quite a bit of research still to be done to find a cure.

Your doctor might tell you that the disorder has a medical element to it as well. When you are in a bipolar depressive episode, there is a greater risk of physical symptoms; such as: body aches, headaches, stomach aches, backaches, etc.

Psychiatrists, of course, confirm that bipolar disorder is a psychiatric illness. The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) was probably what your psychiatrist used to diagnose you with the disorder in the first place.

As many studies have shown, bipolar disorder is hereditary and may be passed down through families.

As anyone with the disorder will tell you, bipolar disorder is definitely an emotional disorder. Your moods can swing from depression to mania and back again, without you having any control over them. In addition, emotional “side effects” of the disorder can include stress, anxiety, and insomnia.

There is also a personal element to bipolar disorder. Because of the stigma still evident in our society against mental illness of any kind, many people with the disorder will keep their disorder to themselves and won’t tell others that they even have it. They feel like it is a personal thing.

Bipolar disorder is not just a chemical imbalance or simply a mood disorder. It is, in turn, both of these things and more.

David Oliver has the top website for bipolar disorder information, symptoms, causes, medications and treatments.