The diffusion of the diagnostic term bipolar disorder among the German public

In 2005, 15 years after the introduction of the diagnosis in DSM-III, a telephone survey in Germany revealed that the public was still unfamiliar with the term bipolar disorder. Only 5.3% of those questioned knew at the time that it denotes a mental illness. In the meantime, efforts have been made to spread the concept among the public. In the media there has been increasing mention of the disorder. Another telephone survey in 2017 showed that familiarity with the diagnostic term has grown substantially. 54.0% of respondents now connected the term bipolar disorder with a mental illness. •In 2005, the German public was still unfamiliar with the term bipolar disorder.•In the meantime, the notion of bipolar disorder has spread considerably.•12 years later, familiarity with the diagnosis has grown substantially, from 5.3% to 54.0%.