Over the past few years, bipolar disorder has been in the news a lot. It's also been the star of story lines on Oprah, ER, and General Hospital. This blog explores the "Bipolar Bum Myth"--what it is, how it came to be, and whether or not TV is evolving in its portrayal of bipolar.

Sally Field played Maggie, a mom with bipolar disorder, on ER. Maurice Bernard plays mob boss Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital (GH); he incorporated his real-life struggle with bipolar into his GH character.