Bipolar Disorder in Spanish

What it means

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that can cause intense mood swings. In a manic episode a person may feel extremely "up," elated, irritable, or energized; in a depressive episode the person may feel "down," sad, indifferent, or hopeless; and in a mixed episode manic and depressive symptoms occur together. Along with mood swings, bipolar disorder causes changes in behavior, energy levels, and activity levels. The National Institute of Mental Health describes it as a mental illness, formerly called manic-depressive illness or manic depression. MedlinePlus lists three main types: bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, and cyclothymic disorder, or cyclothymia. Hypomania is a less severe version of mania. MedlinePlus calls bipolar disorder a lifelong illness and says that long-term, ongoing treatment can help manage its symptoms.

Spanish term: Trastorno bipolar
Gender and article: masculine: el trastorno bipolar
Pronunciation: trahs-TOR-noh bee-poh-LAR

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
enfermedad maniaco-depresiva	General	Listed by MedlinePlus en español under 'Otros nombres' for trastorno bipolar.
trastorno maniacodepresivo	General	Older name: MedlinePlus en español says the disorder used to have this name, and the NIMH's Spanish page calls it one of the 'términos más antiguos'.
depresión maníaca	General	Older name given by the NIMH's Spanish page alongside 'trastorno maniacodepresivo'; MedlinePlus en español also lists it as a former name.

Trastorno bipolar is the name used by MedlinePlus en español, by the National Institute of Mental Health's Spanish page and by the Real Academia Española dictionary, which marks it as a masculine psychiatric term (el trastorno bipolar) and defines it as an affective disorder characterized by the alternation of a manic phase and a depressive one, or by the presence of one or more phases that are only manic or only depressive.

MedlinePlus en español lists enfermedad maniaco-depresiva under other names and says the disorder used to be called depresión maníaca and trastorno maniacodepresivo; the NIMH's Spanish page calls those two términos más antiguos. For the episodes, MedlinePlus en español writes episodio maníaco, episodio depresivo and episodio mixto, the NIMH's Spanish page adds episodios hipomaníacos, and MedlinePlus en español describes hipomanía as a less severe version of manía. It uses cambios de ánimo for mood swings. Note the spelling: these pages print maníaco with an accent in episodio maníaco, but maniaco-depresiva and maniacodepresivo without one.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder three years ago.	Me diagnosticaron trastorno bipolar hace tres años.
Clinician	Have you had a manic episode or a depressive episode recently?	¿Ha tenido recientemente un episodio maníaco o un episodio depresivo?
Patient	Last month I slept very little and had a lot of energy.	El mes pasado dormí muy poco y tuve mucha energía.
Patient	Now I feel a lot of sadness and I have no energy.	Ahora siento mucha tristeza y no tengo energía.
Clinician	How long did that episode last?	¿Cuánto duró ese episodio?
Clinician	Does anyone in your close family have bipolar disorder?	¿Alguien de su familia cercana tiene trastorno bipolar?
Patient	I take my medicine every day, but I have questions about the side effects.	Tomo mi medicamento todos los días, pero tengo preguntas sobre los efectos secundarios.
Clinician	I would like to refer you to a mental health specialist for an evaluation.	Me gustaría derivarle a un especialista en salud mental para una evaluación.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Bipolar Disorder
Spanish (Español)	Trastorno bipolar
Chinese (中文)	雙極性情感障礙
Korean (한국어)	양극성 장애
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Rối loạn lưỡng cực
Filipino (Tagalog)	Bipolar disorder
Portuguese (Português)	Transtorno bipolar
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	โรคไบโพลาร์
Japanese (日本語)	双極性障害

Where you'll see it

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Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: F31 → Bipolar disorder

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Mental health

All terms in this area: Mental health — Salud mental

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.