Bipolar disorder is certainly a serious issues and I think that it is one that might not get as much attention as a lot of other mental health issues. I used to work in the mental health field and it is a growing area of research and they are finding out more about it every day. It is really interesting stuff if you are into that sort of thing.
I think when it comes to psychological disorders, medical science hasn't caught on. Alzheimers happens to a relatively smaller number of people. The bigger problems are bipolar disorders, adhd, etc.