Bipolar disorder: building the path of return to the ideas of Kraepelin.

Dear Editor, Kraeplin (1921) described a wide spectrum of cases of mania and hypomania ranging from euphoric episodes up to predominantly dysphoric or mixed presentations with symptoms of depression. 1 However, in the middle of the 20 th century, influential psychoanalytical writings focused on the euphoric cases of these episodes. Post-hoc interpretations of Kraepelin's ideas led to the adoption of the term 'bipolar' which implies that mania and hypomania are opposite poles of depression. 2