Bathing in Bipolar Semiology: The Anecdotal Evidence and the Need for Research

37 Pages Posted: 12 Dec 2008 Last revised: 21 Aug 2009

Date Written: December 4, 2008

Abstract

In order to avoid reluctance on the part of subjects to discuss mental illness, this paper argues that a study of traits rather than symptoms or syndromes is not only less charged, but also more satisfactory for the scientific study of the relevant semiology. The relation of traits to the classification and etiology of bipolar illness is discussed in four vignettes, each from a distinct vantage. Two study methodologies are proposed that would confirm and expand upon that which anecdotal evidence already suggests, namely, that the role of stress remains grossly under-appreciated and that the bipolar "personality" is pretty much the DSM equivalent of the common cold, a possibility requiring intensified research.

Keywords: bipolar, traits, personality, disorder, disease, anecdotal evidence, stress, genome

Suggested Citation

Herrman, Charles S., Bathing in Bipolar Semiology: The Anecdotal Evidence and the Need for Research (December 4, 2008). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1311247 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1311247

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