While the person who inspired The Protection Wings against Bi-Polar/Mental Disorder wishes to remain anonymous, she did wish people to understand it better. At least one person of every one hundred suffers from bipolar disorder. The illness typically begins in the late teens or early twenties with men most likely to first have an episode of mania, and women more likely to first experience a depressive phase. Bipolar disorder is a serious disorder of the brain, with abnormalities in the brain chemistry causing extreme shifts in mood, energy and functioning.