Why is manic depression referred to as Bipolar?

What better question for me to answer! I am bi-polar! I have researched this.

Bipolar is a way to describe the way mood shifts from one end of the affective spectrum (say manic) to the other end, or pole, of the spectrum (lets call that one depression). Bipolar's full name is actually Bipolar Affective Disorder.

So to recap...

One pole is depression
One pole is mania
The correct prefix for two is Bi

hence bipolar!
I hate this f*cking disease...

2 opposites....im guessing....
because the psychologists hate scientists and wanna be more professional!
dont know because they are two different things.

bipolar: most deal with long periods of up or down.

Manic Depression : you litarly go up and down in moods very quickly to the point of it becomes manic.....one second your happy and the next your not and your down in the pit of dispare.

so it's someone not refering to them in the correct way
Because it is opposite ends of the spectrum. Manic state is a High, depression is a Low. Polar Opposite. They go from the Highs to the Lows and back.
Because the person麓s mood swings from one pole to the next. It has two sides, euphoria and depression.
when you're a manic depressant, you often switch from one extreme of emotion to the other, hence "bi" (two) "polar" (poles).