Bipolar Affective Disorder The phenomenon of bipolar affective disorder has been a mystery since the 16th century. History has shown that this affliction can appear in almost anyone. Even the great painter Vincent Van Gogh is believed to have had bipolar disorder. It is clear that in our society many people live with bipolar disorder; however, despite the abundance of people suffering from the it, we are still waiting for definate explanations for the causes and cure. The one fact of which we are pianfully aware4 is that bipolar disorder severely undermines its' victoms ability to obtain and maintain social and occupational success. Because bipolar disorder has