Bipolar Disorder Abbreviation: What BD, BP, BPAD, BP-I, and BP-II Mean
The common abbreviations for bipolar disorder and its types explained in plain language, what manic, hypomanic, and depressive episodes are, and why bipolar disorder so often occurs alongside substance use.
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Ponlawat Pitsuwan, Physician and Addiction Medicine Specialist, Phuket Island Rehab.
Bipolar disorder is commonly abbreviated as BD, BP, or BPAD, which stands for bipolar affective disorder, an older but still-used name. The two main types have their own abbreviations: BP-I or BD-I for bipolar I disorder, defined by full manic episodes, and BP-II or BD-II for bipolar II disorder, defined by hypomanic episodes plus major depression. Related shorthand includes MDI for manic-depressive illness, the older name for the condition, and abbreviations for the mood states themselves, such as MDE for a major depressive episode. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness involving extreme shifts in mood, energy, and activity between emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression). It matters in addiction care because bipolar disorder very commonly co-occurs with substance use disorders, and treating both together as a dual diagnosis is essential, because each worsens the other.
The common abbreviations at a glance
Bipolar disorder is referred to by several abbreviations, which can be confusing because different sources use different shorthand. The most common abbreviation is simply BD or BP for bipolar disorder. You will also see BPAD, which stands for bipolar affective disorder, an older but still widely used full name for the condition. The older name manic-depressive illness is sometimes abbreviated MDI, and you may still hear the condition called manic depression. These all refer to the same broad illness, a mood disorder marked by extreme swings between emotional highs and lows.
The condition is then divided into types, each with its own shorthand. Bipolar I disorder is abbreviated BP-I or BD-I, bipolar II disorder is abbreviated BP-II or BD-II, and cyclothymia, a milder, longer-lasting form, is sometimes written as such or referred to as cyclothymic disorder. There are also abbreviations for the mood episodes themselves, such as MDE for a major depressive episode. The table below lays out the main abbreviations and what each one means, so the shorthand becomes easy to read.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| BD / BP | Bipolar disorder | The condition in general |
| BPAD | Bipolar affective disorder | Older full name, same condition |
| MDI | Manic-depressive illness | Older name for bipolar disorder |
| BP-I / BD-I | Bipolar I disorder | Defined by full manic episodes |
| BP-II / BD-II | Bipolar II disorder | Hypomanic episodes plus major depression |
| MDE | Major depressive episode | A period of significant depression |
| Cyclothymia | Cyclothymic disorder | A milder, chronic form of mood swings |
What bipolar disorder actually is
Behind the abbreviations is a serious and treatable mental illness. Bipolar disorder involves extreme shifts in mood, energy, thinking, and activity, swinging between emotional highs and lows that go far beyond ordinary ups and downs. The high states are mania or its milder form hypomania, and the low states are episodes of depression. Between episodes, many people return to a stable mood. The pattern, severity, and frequency of these episodes vary widely between individuals, which is part of why the condition is divided into types.
Mania is a distinct period of abnormally elevated or irritable mood with high energy, reduced need for sleep, racing thoughts, rapid speech, grandiosity, and often risky behaviour, severe enough to cause major problems or require hospital care, and sometimes including psychosis. Hypomania is a less severe version that does not cause the same level of disruption. A depressive episode brings persistent low mood, loss of interest and energy, changes in sleep and appetite, difficulty concentrating, feelings of worthlessness, and sometimes thoughts of suicide. Understanding these states is the key to understanding the abbreviations for the types.
Bipolar I versus bipolar II
The difference between BP-I and BP-II comes down to the kind of high a person experiences. Bipolar I disorder, BP-I, is defined by at least one full manic episode, which may be preceded or followed by hypomanic or major depressive episodes. The mania in bipolar I is severe, often disruptive enough to require hospitalisation, and can include psychotic symptoms. A person can be diagnosed with bipolar I on the basis of a manic episode even without a history of major depression, though depression is common.
Bipolar II disorder, BP-II, is defined by a pattern of at least one hypomanic episode and at least one major depressive episode, but no full manic episode. Bipolar II is not simply a milder version of bipolar I; the highs are less extreme, but the depressive episodes are often frequent, prolonged, and disabling, and they cause much of the suffering and risk in the condition. Cyclothymia is a chronic, milder pattern of hypomanic and depressive symptoms that do not meet the full thresholds. Getting the type right matters because it guides treatment, particularly the choice of medication.
Why bipolar disorder matters in addiction care
Bipolar disorder is especially important in the context of addiction because the two occur together remarkably often. Substance use disorders are among the most common conditions to co-occur with bipolar disorder, far more common than in the general population. The reasons run in both directions. People with bipolar disorder may use alcohol or drugs to manage unbearable mood states, to dampen the agitation of mania, to lift the flatness of depression, or to quiet racing thoughts, a pattern of self-medication that brings short-term relief and long-term harm. At the same time, substance use can trigger or worsen mood episodes and destabilise the condition.
This combination is dangerous. Bipolar disorder already carries a high risk of suicide, and adding a substance use disorder increases that risk further, along with the risk of impulsive and harmful behaviour during mood episodes. The two conditions feed each other, so treating only one while ignoring the other usually fails. This is why integrated dual-diagnosis treatment, addressing the bipolar disorder and the substance use together as one connected clinical picture, is the recommended standard of care, and why a proper assessment in addiction treatment looks carefully for underlying mood disorders.
How bipolar disorder and co-occurring addiction are treated
Bipolar disorder is treated primarily with medication, particularly mood stabilisers and sometimes other psychiatric medications, alongside psychological therapy, education, and support, and most people achieve much greater stability with proper treatment. When a substance use disorder is also present, the two are treated together. Where there is physical dependence on alcohol or benzodiazepines, treatment begins with a medically supervised detox, because withdrawal from those can be dangerous, and the mood disorder is stabilised and managed in parallel.
Integrated treatment combines psychiatric care for the bipolar disorder with addiction treatment, including therapy that addresses both conditions, relapse prevention for the substance use, and careful medication management, since some medications interact with substances and since untreated mood episodes drive relapse. The encouraging reality is that both bipolar disorder and substance use disorders are treatable, and many people with both go on to achieve real stability and recovery when both are addressed together rather than separately. The first step is an honest, thorough assessment that recognises the full picture behind the abbreviations.
When substance use has become more than occasional
If someone with bipolar disorder, or someone who suspects they have a mood disorder, is also drinking heavily or using drugs to cope with their moods, that is a sign that both need attention together. Self-medicating bipolar disorder with alcohol is extremely common and extremely counterproductive, because alcohol is a depressant that worsens mood instability and interferes with psychiatric medication, even though it can feel like relief in the moment. The same is true of using stimulants to escape depression or sedatives to quiet mania.
If you or someone you love is caught in this pattern, it is worth seeking help that treats both the mood disorder and the substance use, rather than one alone. Anyone physically dependent on alcohol or benzodiazepines should not stop suddenly, because withdrawal can cause seizures, and should seek a medically supervised detox. With integrated dual-diagnosis treatment, the combination of a stabilised mood and freedom from substances is genuinely achievable, and it is far more attainable together than by trying to fix either side in isolation.
Summary
Bipolar disorder is commonly abbreviated BD, BP, or BPAD, which stands for bipolar affective disorder, with the older name manic-depressive illness sometimes written MDI. The main types are bipolar I disorder, BP-I, defined by full manic episodes, and bipolar II disorder, BP-II, defined by hypomanic episodes plus major depression, with cyclothymia as a milder chronic form. The condition involves extreme shifts in mood and energy between highs of mania or hypomania and lows of depression. It matters greatly in addiction care because bipolar disorder very commonly co-occurs with substance use disorders, each worsening the other and raising the risk of suicide and harm, which is why integrated dual-diagnosis treatment of both together is the recommended standard of care.
As Dr. Ponlawat Pitsuwan, addiction medicine specialist at Phuket Island Rehab, puts it, “Behind the abbreviation is a person whose moods have been swinging between extremes, and very often they have been using alcohol or drugs to try to manage it themselves. If we treat the addiction and miss the bipolar disorder underneath, we will lose them to relapse. The two have to be treated together, and when they are, people who felt hopeless get genuinely stable lives back.”
Frequently asked questions
What is the abbreviation for bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder is most commonly abbreviated BD or BP. You will also see BPAD, which stands for bipolar affective disorder, an older full name for the same condition, and MDI for manic-depressive illness, the older name. The types have their own abbreviations: BP-I or BD-I for bipolar I and BP-II or BD-II for bipolar II.
What does BPAD stand for?
BPAD stands for bipolar affective disorder, an older but still widely used name for bipolar disorder. The word affective refers to mood, so bipolar affective disorder simply describes a mood disorder with two poles, the highs of mania or hypomania and the lows of depression. It refers to the same condition now usually called bipolar disorder.
What is the difference between BP-I and BP-II?
Bipolar I disorder, BP-I, is defined by at least one full manic episode, which is severe and can require hospitalisation or include psychosis. Bipolar II disorder, BP-II, involves at least one hypomanic episode, a milder high, plus at least one major depressive episode, but no full mania. Bipolar II is not simply milder; its depressive episodes are often frequent and disabling. The distinction guides treatment, especially medication choice.
Is manic depression the same as bipolar disorder?
Yes. Manic depression, sometimes abbreviated MDI for manic-depressive illness, is the older name for what is now called bipolar disorder. The name was changed partly to reduce stigma and to better reflect that not everyone experiences full mania. They refer to the same condition: a mood disorder with extreme swings between emotional highs and lows.
Why does bipolar disorder often occur with addiction?
Substance use disorders co-occur with bipolar disorder far more often than in the general population, for reasons that run both ways. People may use alcohol or drugs to manage unbearable mood states, dampening mania, lifting depression, or quieting racing thoughts, which brings short-term relief but long-term harm. Substance use can also trigger and worsen mood episodes. Because the two feed each other and raise the risk of suicide, treating both together as a dual diagnosis is essential.
How is bipolar disorder with addiction treated?
It is treated with integrated dual-diagnosis care that addresses both conditions together. Bipolar disorder is managed with mood stabilisers and other medications plus therapy and support, and the substance use is treated alongside it, beginning with a medically supervised detox where there is physical dependence on alcohol or benzodiazepines. Treating both at once, rather than one in isolation, gives the best chance of stability and recovery, and both conditions are genuinely treatable.
Sources
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Bipolar Disorder. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Co-Occurring Disorders. https://www.samhsa.gov/medications-substance-use-disorders/co-occurring-disorders
National Health Service (NHS). Bipolar Disorder. https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/bipolar-disorder/
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Comorbidity: Substance Use and Other Mental Disorders. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/comorbidity
World Health Organization (WHO). Mental Disorders. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Bipolar Disorder and Substance Use. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder
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