EXCERPT...

One by one he puts several Founding Fathers and a handful of epic-level business leaders--the likes of Columbus, Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Carnegie, and genome giant Craig Ventor--through psychological tests to determine whether they fit the hypomanic mold. Turns out, Gartner says, that not only have many of the nation's most charismatic leaders been certifiable hypomanics but at least one was, quite likely, genuinely bipolar. Lest anybody think this is a bad thing, Gartner asserts that without the risk-taking, no-holds-barred temperaments of these overachievers, the U.S. would never have gained its current status as the wealthiest nation in the world. Entertaining, thought-provoking stuff.

Gartner, John D.. The Hypomanic Edge: The Bipolar Disorder That Made America the Most Successful Nation in the World. 2005 Reviewed in Booklist, March 1, 2005. Page 1114