Fictional characters who exhibit and/or have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Year | Character | Actor(s) | Film | Director | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | Maria Elena | Penélope Cruz | Vicky Cristina Barcelona | Woody Allen | Not diagnosed in film, but exhibits drastic mood swings consistent with mania and depression. [1] |
2012 | Patrizio "Pat" Solitano Jr. | Bradley Cooper | Silver Linings Playbook | David O. Russell | [2] |
2014 | Cam Stuart | Mark Ruffalo | Infinitely Polar Bear | Maya Forbes | The film is based on the filmmaker's life with her bipolar father. |
Year | Character | Series/Franchise | Author/Publisher |
---|---|---|---|
1942 | Two-Face [ citation needed ] | Batman | DC Comics |
1960 | Multi-Man [ citation needed ] | Challengers of the Unknown | |
1962 | Hank Pym [21] | Ant-Man | Marvel Comics |
1962 | Will Magnus [ citation needed ] | Showcase | DC Comics |
1964 | Norman Osborn [22] | Spider-Man | Marvel Comics |
1966 | Mimic [23] | X-Men | |
1978 | Count Vertigo [ citation needed ] | Black Canary/Green Arrow | DC Comics |
1985 | Black Mask [ citation needed ] | Batman | DC Comics |
2019 | Nadia van Dyne [24] | The Unstoppable Wasp | Marvel Comics |
Year | Character | Book | Author | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | Annie Wilkes [ citation needed ] | Misery | Stephen King | Also appears in the 1990 film adaptation. |
2011 | Leonard Bankhead[ citation needed ] | The Marriage Plot | Jeffrey Eugenides | The book's plot is heavily driven by Leonard's mental illness. |
2015 | Theodore Finch[ citation needed ] | All the Bright Places | Jennifer Niven | Also appears in the 2020 film adaptation. |
1962 | Esther Greenwood | The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath | Character's struggles with depression were based on the ones that the author experienced herself. |
1999 | Marigold Westward | The Illustrated Mum | Jacqueline Wilson | Also appears in the 2003 TV film adaptation. |
Year | Character | Actor(s) | Game | Developer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | Alan Wake | Ilkka Villi, Matthew Porretta | Alan Wake, Alan Wake 2 | Remedy Entertainment | Alan describes himself as manic-depressive in the manuscript page Barry's Struggles With Artists in Alan Wake 2. [25] |
2017 | Gregg Lee | No voice acting | Night in the Woods | Finji | Implied by the story and his characteristics to be bipolar. Also suggested by the character Bea in the game. [26] |
Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that each last from days to weeks. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with psychosis, it is called mania; if it is less severe and does not significantly affect functioning, it is called hypomania. During mania, an individual behaves or feels abnormally energetic, happy or irritable, and they often make impulsive decisions with little regard for the consequences. There is usually also a reduced need for sleep during manic phases. During periods of depression, the individual may experience crying and have a negative outlook on life and poor eye contact with others. The risk of suicide is high; over a period of 20 years, 6% of those with bipolar disorder died by suicide, while 30–40% engaged in self-harm. Other mental health issues, such as anxiety disorders and substance use disorders, are commonly associated with bipolar disorder.
Doctors is a British medical soap opera, first broadcast on BBC One on 26 March 2000. Filmed in Birmingham and set in the fictional West Midlands town of Letherbridge, the soap follows the lives of the staff of both an NHS doctor's surgery and a university campus surgery, as well as the lives of their families and friends. Initially, only 41 episodes of the programme were ordered, but due to the positive reception, the BBC ordered it as a continuing soap opera. Doctors was filmed at the Pebble Mill Studios until 2004; production then relocated to the BBC Drama Village, where it filmed until 2024. Episodes are filmed three months prior to transmission. The soap is typically broadcast on weekdays at 1:45 pm on BBC One, as well as having classic episodes broadcast on Drama. It takes three annual transmission breaks across the year: at Easter, during the summer and at Christmas.
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City. First broadcast on March 26, 1973, The Young and the Restless was originally broadcast as half-hour episodes, five times a week. The show expanded to one-hour episodes on February 4, 1980. On March 17, 2006, the series began airing previous episodes weeknights on Soapnet until the closure on December 31, 2013, when it moved to TVGN. From July 1, 2013 until 2019, Pop aired previous episodes on weeknights. The series is also syndicated internationally.
Loving is an American television soap opera that ran on ABC from June 26, 1983, to November 10, 1995, for a total of 3,169 episodes. The serial, set in the fictional town of Corinth, Pennsylvania, was co-created by Agnes Nixon and former actor Douglas Marland.
Helen Joyce Flanagan is an English actress and model. She is best known for playing the role of Rosie Webster in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street from 2000 to 2012; she returned to the role in 2017, before going on maternity leave on 8 June 2018, from which she did not return.
Stacey Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, portrayed by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a feisty and troublesome teenager and extension to the already established Slater family. She was created by scriptwriter Tony Jordan with Turner in mind. Producers explored the character's backstory with the introduction of her mother, Jean Slater, who has bipolar disorder. They then paired Stacey with Bradley Branning and writers developed a series of problems for their marriage, including an abortion and Stacey's scandalous affair with Bradley's father, Max Branning. In 2009, the character was placed in an issue-led storyline when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder; the show worked with various charities to the story. Writers also incorporated Stacey in the "Who Killed Archie?" plot and revealed her as his killer in a live episode, which was followed by a two-hander episode between Stacey and Max. Stacey became pregnant by Ryan Malloy and gave birth to their daughter Lily. This led to a feud between Stacey, and Ryan's wife Janine Malloy, and culminated in Stacey fleeing Walford on the episode broadcast on 25 December 2010, to avoid imprisonment after Janine stabbed herself and framed Stacey for attempted murder. Turner's return was announced on 19 December 2013, and Stacey reappears in the episode originally broadcast on 7 February 2014 before departing again on 24 March 2014. She made a permanent return on 1 September 2014.
Jean Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Gillian Wright. Her first appearance is in the episode first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 16 December 2004. Having only been introduced for one episode, Wright was reintroduced for four more episodes the following year and became more of a regular character in the following two years. The character is introduced as the mother of Stacey Slater who suffers with bipolar disorder. Her disorder strains her relationship with her children, Stacey and Sean Slater. Wright researched the disorder to prepare for the role. In April 2010, it was announced that Jean would be written out of the series, however, Wright was awarded a reprieve in late 2010. Jean departed on 13 January 2011 and returned on 29 March 2011. Wright announced her intentions to leave the series in July 2013, and Jean departed on 17 September 2013. Following her departure, Wright reprised the role for 15 episodes between 2014 and 2017. In December 2017, it was announced that Jean would be reintroduced as a regular character, along with Kat Slater and Mo Harris. She returned on 20 March 2018. On 11 December 2023, Wright appeared in her 1,000th episode as Jean.
Gillian Wright is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Jean Slater on the BBC soap opera EastEnders since 2004, for which she has won numerous awards. She previously worked as a drama teacher and a theatre director before occupying acting roles.
Sharon Newman is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network, currently portrayed by Sharon Case. Created by William J. Bell as a love interest for Nicholas Newman, the character debuted on June 27, 1994. Before Case took over in September 1994, the character was portrayed briefly by Monica Potter and then by Heidi Mark. When first introduced, Sharon was a young girl from the poor side of town; her early storylines included being raped by Matt Clark and the revelation that she had given up a child for adoption. Nick and Sharon married, had a son named Noah, and later won custody of Cassie, the daughter she had as a teenager. Their marriage faced a number of problems, including infidelity on both sides. Following Cassie's death in an automobile accident, Nick cheated on Sharon with Phyllis Summers, resulting in a pregnancy which ended their 11-year marriage.
Cassie Newman is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. Portrayed by Camryn Grimes, the character was introduced on March 19, 1997, by William J. Bell as the biological daughter of Sharon Newman who had been adopted. Grace Turner, Sharon's best friend, tracked Cassie down in hopes of reuniting her with Sharon, but decided to keep the girl for herself. A year passed before Sharon learned Cassie was her daughter, regaining custody with her husband Nicholas Newman, who adopted her.
Christina Malone is an English actress. She is best known for portraying the roles of Mo McGee in Brookside and Mimi Maguire in Shameless, both broadcast on Channel 4. She was also a housemate on the sixth series of Celebrity Big Brother in January 2009.
David Kenneth Harbour is an American actor. He has received nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Spencer Gray is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Darren John Langford. The character first appeared on screen in December 2008. He initially appeared as the foster brother of Warren Fox, turning up after the death of his mother. He is noted for his learning disability and his having a condition which gave him a mental age of a human in preadolescence. The character was axed by Paul Marquess.
Christopher Maher Cousins is an American actor who has been acting in television since 1986. He is best known for playing conman Cain Rogan in forty-one episodes of the soap opera One Life to Live. Between 2009 and 2012, he played Ted Beneke in thirteen episodes of the AMC series Breaking Bad. In 2013 and 2014, he played Victor Doyle in seven episodes of the NBC series Revolution.
Zosia March is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actress Camilla Arfwedson. She first appeared in the series fifteen episode "The Kick Inside", broadcast on 10 September 2013. Zosia arrives at Holby City hospital to start her first year of the Foundation Programme. She has a vested interest in psychiatry and has worked on both Darwin and Keller wards mentored by Elliot Hope and Sacha Levy respectively. She is characterised as a forthright, intelligent and unafraid to challenge the hospital hierarchy. The show soon introduced Zosia's estranged father, Guy Self. They share a dysfunctional relationship following the death of her mother. Their feud jeopardises Zosia's career and on one occasion she is thrown off Keller following a rude confrontation. Other storylines revolve around close colleagues Arthur Digby and Dominic Copeland and romances with Sebastian Coulter and Oliver Valentine, whom she later married.
The Slater family are a fictional family from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, that have appeared since Episode 1,997, first broadcast in September 2000. The family are introduced as a central family unit, originally consisting of father Charlie Slater, grandmother Mo Harris, Charlie's daughters, Kat Slater, Lynne Slater, Little Mo Morgan and Kat's teenage daughter Zoe Slater, and Lynne's partner Garry Hobbs. A fifth sister, Belinda Peacock, was introduced one year later. The family were the eighth to be introduced in the soap's history, replacing the di Marco family who departed during the previous month. The Slaters were created by Tony Jordan and introduced by John Yorke. The Slater sisters were cast in an improvisation session. In their first years on the show, the family were involved in storylines about child sexual abuse and domestic violence.
Claiming to suffer from Asperger's, bi-polar, gluten intolerance, restless legs and attention deficit disorder, there might just be a clue to the truth in that list of conditions as to why this is a farewell tour.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Barry used to be the agent of a manic-depressive celebrity writer, Alan Wake.