The other night I told a woman I’d just met at a party that I’ve written three memoirs about being bipolar. “I’d never have guessed,” the woman said. “You certainly don’t look like you’re bipolar.”

At the time, I thanked her, because I couldn’t think of what else to say. But later in the evening, I started to wonder what the hell she’d meant.

It’s true, some mental illnesses come with preconceived notions of how an afflicted person might look. Take depression, for example—we may expect it to be accompanied by a gloomy expression, slumped posture, and cast-down eyes. People with untreated schizophrenia occasionally exhibit a lack of grooming—unwashed hair or unkempt clothing. But bipolar disorder? What does bipolar typically look like?

I suppose it depends on where you’re at on the spectrum. When I’m manic, for example, I dress and look very differently than when I’m depressed. I’ll wear upbeat colors like gold and coral, or a medley of stripes and........

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