Could Sirius have been bipolar? Re: Depression and Harry in OotP -- Information

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 110736

Brenda wrote:
> > Of course I remember your supposition that Sirius appears to 
> be  clinically depressed. If I were to choose a depressed 
> character from  Potterverse it will definitely be Sirius, not 
Harry. <

Pippin: 
> Sirius's  mood changed so completely between GoF and the 
> beginning of OOP that some people thought he was completely 
> out of character. But what if he were bipolar?  Any comments 
> from our mental health experts on that possibility?

SSSusan:
Not a mental health expert, but way back about 20 years ago I did 
get my BS in psych and 15 years ago my MS in counseling.  My 
understanding of bipolar disorder--and the BIGGEST mistake I think 
lay people tend to make--is that the mood swings associated with it 
are *not* short-term, like from Monday to Tuesday.  The swings are 
deep and can last days, weeks or months.  [PLEASE correct me, *real* 
psychologists, if I've got that wrong!]  The manic phases are 
typically marked by an "I can do ANYTHING!" feeling and rash or 
impulsive behavior [such as monstrous shopping sprees].  The 
depressive phases, which again, are not hour by hour or day by day, 
but lengthy phases, we're more familiar with--typically true 
clinical depression, I believe.

I definitely can see why people have seen Sirius as having acted 
clinically depressed in OoP.  "Rash" and "impulsive" are words we've 
heard a lot about Sirius, too, but have these been actual phases 
with him, or is it more just his overall personality?

Experts want to chime in?