First of all no such thing as bipolar, second of all everyone also says Bill Clinton had it. While I never voted for him, lets face Clinton did a pretty good job as president so maybe we should hope Palin has been given that label, passion ain't a bad quality in a world leader. It's the first good thing I've heard about her and I might vote for her if I find out she has the label, even if she accepts it but particularly if she doesn't. While I generally am saddened by the fact that lots of folks here accept their label of bipolar, generally folks given such a label are creative, intelligent, hardy, crafty, etc. better qualified to be leaders than "the average bear." Still there are some horrible non bipolar things about Palin.

You're blaming one website for the trian-wreck that Palin has become? She brought this on all herself -- from the early days of trying to ban books, through troopergate and onto her dismal interviews on television. Up here in anchorage we had 2000 people protesting against her -- the largest political protest Alaska has EVER seen. Stop defending her - she's not ready.

I very much agree with the notion that "bipolar" has become the new insult.

But then again, in my three decades on the planet, I have seen words such as bitch and fag go through a similar process. It's almost as if society (or, at least the society I observed in New York) needs to become comfortable with a word as a negative label before it can be reclaimed in a positive sense, or at least, reclaimed.

Not too fond of someone else labeling my life as "suffering", either, even thought I've felt the same way myself for periods.

But then again, I was just diagnosed a few months ago.

Decrying the use of poorly applied psychiatric diagnoses to express political dissent is one of my hobbyhorses. We have seen the same thing over the last 8 years about Bush -- that he is a "dry drunk" or that he is has antisocial personality disorder. It is a lazy and cheap way of attacking those with positions we disagree with. I get even angrier when mental professionals do this. My standard response is that tagging them with a mental illness removes an element of personal responsibility for the targets. It says nothing about why their positions are wrong or to be disputed. What ever happened to attacking issues and ideas anyway?

BTW, I am most definitely not a supporter of McCain, Palin, or Bush. I find their stances on the issues repugnant. And I suspect the state of their mental health is likely average.

Daily Kos has long disgusted me for its vituperousness -- and I'm a committed liberal and fan of Keith Olbermann, not exactly a shrinking violet. (And Olbermann is someone, with some admitted odd phobias, unfair speculation has been made about as well.)

Still, I think voting for McCain-Palin simply because of such scurrilousness is the ultimate example of cutting off your nose to spite your face. Unless there is more than a scintilla of evidence that the Obama campaign is the source of the slander, of course.

I thought Abraham Lincoln was supposed to have bipolar disorder? Wrote the Gettysburg Address in one sitting? Definitely had documented severe depression at times in his life.

I'm not going to vote for Mc and Palin because of what some bloggers are saying about Palin. Some bloggers are saying Obama is a Muslim and making up all kinds of stuff about him too. I will vote based on who makes the most sense and who is the most intelligent and prepared to handle the presidency and that is not McCain or Palin in my opinion. McCain was smirking and giggling in the debate, not at all Presidential--or reminiscent of George W. presidential which I don't think this country would survive 4 more years of.

Using mental illness as a perjorative is going on on both sides of the political fence and it's obnoxious no matter who does it. Republicans pundits have come up with "Palin Derangement Syndrome". Lovely. Not.

Don't worry Larry, I'm not voting for the moose killer, just pointing out that sometimes the qualities that get labeled mentally ill in some people get labeled as leadership and courage and assertiveness in others.

I usually vote Democratic and lean left, and I will be voting for Obama this election, but I am always thankful for the Republicans usual revulsion of psychiatric excess. I think in general, neo-liberals are unfortunately very open to psychiatric excess. Thanks for the great post

I just finished reading a book called Lincoln's Melancholy, published in 2006, so fairly recent. The author suggested depression with hypomania, but not bipolar. He had his first depressive episode when he was 26 and suffered chronic depression until the day he died. It's a very good book and I highly recommend it. My girlfriend and I noted many similarities between Lincoln and myself, so that's just one more reason I found it fascinating.

Dear Philip:

Just more dumocratic spew as usual, these ultra liberal so called progressives as they like to think of themselves are nothing more than angry socialists parading them around thinking and acting as if their sh-t don't really stink like everyone elses. I quit going to Liz's blog due to this over the top stance taking; especially with regard to mental health issues. Mental health disorders come in all colors, beliefs, and political affiliation. They (super leftest) somehow believe they have the market cornered.

Just look in those million dollar box seats at the dumocratic convention with all the power brokers from every major pharmaceutical company sipping martini's and check books out writing away untold influence peddling, and you can clearly see this is not a party affiliation fix, but a people of all parties, problems and issues.

This petty attack on Palin is just one more salvo in the endless line of dirty politics we play today on both sides ( but especially with the left because they have the media in their pocket so to speak) in this free speech entitled nation.

Obama will get my vote the moment I decide I wish to no longer have free speech, any from of privacy (if there is such a think anymore), and the constitution is burned, along with the Bill of Rights and the American's with Disabilities Act. I guess it all comes down to those rose colored glasses getting a little fogged up and forgetting this is about America and not just a party.

But so is life, I guess the Dumocrats really don't care if they concede the Bipolar vote! Oh yes, we and I will be voting! Watch out when you toss those daggers at us, we can fight back!

Yours Truly,
Stan

In reply to Andy Alt: Actually, depression & hypomania generally *is* classified as bipolar, though almost always as BP Type 2. I read Lincoln's Melancholy too, and as someone with BP found it deeply inspiring.

I'm not a fan of diagnoses-from-the-hip like that of Sarah Palin. But I don't mind informed BP/Depression reviews on historical figures & even some contemporary celebrities -- not only b/c it can help fight the stigma but also b/c it can help educate people about just how complex & poorly understood BP really is.

The bigger part of the problem, I think, is the attitude that "labeling" a celeb or historical figure as BP amounts to an insult. That's probably the way most of society sees it, but most of society doesn't know the first thing about mental illness. Constantly repeating the idea that a consideration of a VIP's potential BP disorder is an "insult" doesn't help.

On top of which, BP is a disease diagnosed primarily through observation. Granted, diagnoses should only be made by qualified pros, but the observations of others -- family, friends, coworkers, etc. -- play a key role.

Indeed.

Armchair psychologists have begun to set my teeth on edge. Everytime I see someone display ANY socially unacceptable emotion in an internet forum, it is only a matter of time before someone diagnoses them as insane and tells them they need medication. The casualness with which people are willing to push others to take powerful drugs to change their personalities so they become bland and smiling conformists is very Brave New Worldish and terrifies me.

You have a point, but for me as a Scientist and a Geneticist, there is no question or even doubt that Sarah Palin meets ALL the criteria of a Bipolar Manic patient on loose. This is a very commonly accepted belief in my community, the scientific community to be precise from very early on and her awkward resignation decision and her very strange speech delivery just left me ever more convinced. My best friend, a psychologist mentioned Palin was a subject of discussions as a bipolar patient who is roaming wild at her school among the PhD students. Just look up the symptoms on wiki and you'll see her described in all the symptoms. I stopped blaming her for anything ever since I was convinced on her condition.
My husband who is a MD diagnosed her informally based on Palin's extreme similarity in behavior to his ex wife who was unfortunately a bipolar patient but a genius scientist herself( many bipolar patients are quite genius). My husband's son is also bipolar. To us, bipolar is not a condition we would like to throw out there and see where it sticks, as scientists, we have no desire or need to put labels on people who are just born a certain way. I would suggest you'll urge some serious psychologists contacting Palin and get her evaluated just for safety of her family and herself, bipolar is one of the most difficult conditions for diagnosis and can be very devastating if left undiagnosed and untreated.

I don't know if she's bipolar, but to me I sure wondered when I saw her speech delivery if she is medicated. She's exhibiting all the signs. I think her problem just might be that she is being "treated."

Manic episode

A person’s speech may be pressured, check – resignation speech. Sufferers may go on spending sprees, check – the stuff she bought in new york. People may feel they have been “chosen”, are “on a special mission”, check – VP. Sexual drive may increase, check – 5 kids. In order to be diagnosed with mania a person must experience this state of elevated or irritable mood for at least one week, check – pick a week.

Jane Pauley, Sinead O’Connor, Carrie Fisher, and Linda Hamilton are bipolar.

Sorry, Palin is bipolar.

Philip Dawdy responds: i'm no palin fan, but you are full of crap.