Bauer v. Astrue

The plaintiff challenges the Social Security Administrations denial (upheld by the district court) of disability benefits. She claims to be disabled by virtue of having the psychiatric illness that is nowadays called "bipolar disorder"; the older and more descriptive term is manic-depressive illness. A person suffering from the disorder has violent mood swings, the extremes of which are mania-a state of high excitement in which he loses contact with reality and exhibits bizarre behavior-and clinical depression, in which he has great difficulty sleeping or concentrating, has suicidal thoughts and may actually attempt suicide. The condition, which varies in its severity, see American Psychiatric Assn, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 297-98 (4th ed. 2000), is treatable by antipsychotic drugs and other medications. Sophia Frangou, "Advancing the Pharmacological Treatment of Bipolar Depression," 11 Advances in Psych. Treatment 28, 31-33 (2005). But many patients do not respond well to treatment, or have frequent relapses. See, e.g., Kaan Kora et al., "Predictive Factors for Time to Remission and Recurrence in Patients Treated for Acute Mania: Health Outcomes of Manic Episodes (HOME) Study," 10 J. Clin. Psychiatry 114 (2008); Robert G. Bota, "Therapeutic Dilemmas in Treatment-Resistant Bipolar Patients," 101 S. Medical J. 584 (2008). "For many patients, the prognosis of bipolar disorder is not good, as the disorder is associated with frequent relapses and recurrences." Edward Watkins, "Combining Cognitive Therapy with Medication in Bipolar Disorder," 9 Advances in Psych. Treatment 110 (2003); see also Kangail v. Barnhart, 454 F.3d 627, 630-31 (7th Cir. 2006).