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.

First of all, bipolar disorder is historical.  Its roots go back as far as the second century A.D., when a man named Aretaeus first recognized manic and depressive symptoms and believed that they were linked.

The disorder is physiological, since it has to do with your body, but mental as well, since it has to do with your mind.

Since part of it is associated with your brain, bipolar disorder can also be considered a neurological problem; however, it is usually termed merely "physical," and referred to simply as a "chemical imbalance of the brain."

Scientists who research the disorder can tell you that it has biological roots, as they are even now studying genes that may cause bipolar disorder.  If they discover the specific gene involved in the disorder, they believe it may lead to a cure.  Of course, there is great debate in the scientific community, and research still to be done before a cure can be found.

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.

Bipolar disorder is also hereditary, as many studies have shown.  It is passed down through the family.

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 really much more than a chemical imbalance of the brain or just a mood disorder.  It is both of these things and more.