MANCHESTER, Iowa -- The voices called to him.

Teasing and taunting, the murmurs rambled through Matt Mitchell's mind. Swallowed by darkness, the Manchester teen felt the shadow's whispers sink into his soul.

"They are coming to get you," the night said. "They are coming."

Mitchell scrambled off the park bench serving as his bed, and he ran.

He raced to escape his ghosts -- his past, the cops, his drug dealers, his diagnosis. Yet the eyes of the monster behind him grew brighter, approaching at a speed he could not outrun, and Mitchell turned to face his demon.

A car door opened, and a silhouette crossed the headlights.

"Matt, are you OK?" his mother asked.

Her son, still high, thought she was not real.

"It's OK, Matt," she said. "I understand. You know I understand."

'Not alone'

Robin Stone and her 18-year-old son, Matt Mitchell, suffer from a disease with no known cause or cure.

They will not die from it. Not in the traditional sense, anyway,

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What it is Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy and ability to function. Different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. They can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide. The disorder typically develops in late adolescence or early adulthood. -- Source: National Institute for Mental Health Bipolar symptoms include * Increased energy, activity and restlessness * Excessively "high," overly good, euphoric mood * Extreme irritability * Racing thoughts, speaking quickly and jumping from one idea to another * Distractibility, unable to concentrate * Need little to no sleep * Unrealistic beliefs in one's abilities and powers * Poor judgment * Spending sprees * A lasting period of behavior that is unusual * Increased sexual drive * Abuse of drugs, alcohol and sleeping medications * Aggressive behavior * Lasting sad, anxious or empty mood * Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism * Feeling of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness * Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed, including sex * Difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions * Decreased energy, a feeling of fatigue or of being slowed down * Difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions * Restlessness or irritability * Sleeping too much or are unable to sleep * Change in appetite and/or unintended weight loss or gain * Chronic pain or other persistent bodily symptoms that are not caused by physical illness or injury * Thoughts of death or suicide Source: National Institute of Mental Health Did you know? * One in four Americans 18 or older suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder. That translates to about 57.7 million people. * Mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the United States and Canada for people between the ages of 15 and 44. * Of those diagnosed with any mental illness, 45 percent meet criteria for two or more disorders. * Only 80 percent of those with a mental illness seek treatment. * The United States ranks No. 1 globally for mental illness. * Each year, bipolar disorder affects about 5.7 million adult Americans. * An equal number of men and women experience bipolar disorder. * More than two-thirds of people with bipolar disorder have at least one close relative with the illness. * Bipolar disorder is the sixth-leading cause of disability in the world. * Bipolar disorder results in 9.2 years' reduction in expected life span. * Bipolar disorder patients are at heightened risk for engaging in impulsive and risky acts, including violent outbursts, domestic abuse, substance abuse, etc. Source: National Institute of Mental Health, World Health Organization and the United States Census Bureau

Stone said.

Instead, they will suffer through the symptoms and will battle the backlash caused by a mishmash of medications they call their "cocktails."

Being bipolar, both understand their lives will be littered with incidents -- like last summer, when Stone discovered Mitchell wandering the streets, hallucinating after a manic-induced drug binge. His prescriptions interacted with marijuana, and psychosis attacked.

That night, Stone sensed her son's trouble and sought him out. Yet often both the mother and son say their diagnoses leave them feeling isolated, despite the fact that 5.7 million American adults share their disease.

Only one thing eases the pain.

"It helps, knowing that Mom is the same," Mitchell said. "When I am in trouble, I can talk to her about it."

Stone echoes those sentiments.

"With Matt, I know I am not alone," she said.

'Life-threatening'

More than 2.6 percent of the U.S. population suffers from the mental illness characterized by dramatic mood swings.

A euphoric high morphs into a depressive prison again and again, until either prescriptions ease the pain or desperation drives the victim to his or her death.

About one in five bipolar patients commits suicide, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Symptoms include extreme irritability, a propensity for drug and alcohol abuse, poor judgement, chronic pain and feelings of hopelessness or guilt.

Worse yet, only a quarter of the bipolar population receives an accurate diagnosis less than three years after seeking medical attention. The rest muddle through a decade or more before doctors discover what is wrong, according to the National Institute for Mental Health.

"This is a life-threatening disease," Stone said. "It's just not one you can see."

'Ramped up'

The clip appears scratchy, fuzzy, old.

Filmed 19 years ago, the video shows a pregnant woman sharing her hopes for her unborn child.

"We thought about the military, and we talked about college," Stone said.

Yet the highly anticipated arrival delivered more than a son.

"I knew from the very moment Matt was born that something wasn't right," Stone said. "He came out of the womb screaming, and he did nothing else. And it went downhill from there."

Screaming turned into outbursts, and doctors diagnosed attention deficit disorder and prescribed medication.

"They'd help a little, but he was still a wild child," Stone said. "It was like ADHD, but ramped up a couple notches."

For nine years, Stone wondered why Mitchell banged his head on the floor, broke things and smacked his siblings. Discipline failed, and Stone's only remedy for controlling fits was to clasp her child on her lap, her arms wrapped around his middle as he bucked and reared against her.

During one such rage, Stone held her son and watched TV as she waited for her son's anger to subside.

A program about bipolar children aired, and for several moments, Stone sat in disbelief.

"Oh, my God," she said. "That's Matthew."

Although the average onset for the disorder is 25, Mitchell received the diagnosis at 9.

'Not for me'

Life dimmed after the diagnosis.

Stone's marriage dissolved. Her relationship with her other children -- a son and daughter -- faded. Her job-seeking attempts failed, and the newly single mother of three sank into depression.

"Having a child with a mental illness is extremely isolating," Stone said. "You lose friends over it."

Family life suffered, too.

"I feel like my other two kids have not gotten the time and attention from me they deserve," she said. "But when you have an ill child, you have to take care of them, and you can't expect that the others will understand. It was really hard on the other kids, because Matt just sucked the energy out of this family."

For years, she argued with teachers about care plans. She fought the "bad mother" stereotype forced on her by fellow grocery store shoppers and Bible study members. But she waged the biggest battle against herself.

She sat in front of the window for entire days. She did not eat. She did not move.

"I was not the best of mothers when I got that way," Stone said.

While her son fought his illness, Stone struggled with a stream of depression diagnoses.

A referral to a psychiatrist changed everything. At the session's end, he passed her a prescription to treat bipolar disorder.

"That was like he threw a bucket of cold water on me," Stone said. "For some stupid reason, it was like it was OK for my son, but not for me."

'Never, never, never'

"It was like coming out of a 45-year fog," Stone said. "I missed a lot of years, a lot of years."

With a new understanding of herself, Stone now attacked her own disease alongside her son's.

Such a connection proves common, said John Curtis, a Dubuque psychologist.

"There is a genetic component," he said. "Oftentimes parents see their children experiencing the symptoms, and then they look into their family history for the sake of their child, and then they notice the similarities."

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, a bipolar parent carries a 30 percent chance of producing a bipolar child. Two bipolar parents are 75 percent more likely to have children with the symptoms.

"Never, never, never did I think this was happening," Stone said. "Never, not once, when Matt was growing up did I think, 'Oh, me too.'"

Yet, Mitchell recognizes similarities.

"We're both the same," he said. "We both yell. We both fight. We both get depressed."

Still, distinct differences remain. Stone experiences the milder diagnosis of bipolar II, while Mitchell suffers from the more intense bipolar I and bipolar psychosis.

'Blacked out'

Last summer, Mitchell came home after his drug-induced stupor and punched several holes in the walls. Four times, the mother has hospitalized her son for being a danger to himself and, in some cases, to others.

"I didn't even know I was doing these things," he said. "It was like I blacked out."

He punched his best friend in the face. He has been kicked out of four apartments and has dropped out of school. He got involved with "the wrong people," including partiers and drug dealers. He lived on the streets, and he did drugs.

Bad behavior?

Definitely not, Stone said.

"Impulsiveness is part of being bipolar," she said.

Mental health experts back her claim. Studies show that bipolar adolescents, in contrast to adults, are more prone to destructive outbursts, including becoming violent or aggressive.

Such "rages," as Mitchell calls them, have left the teen struggling to maintain a normal life that includes work or school.

For now, he relies on disability checks for finances, and he wants to finish high school and go on to college.

"I am pretty confident I can," he said. "Being bipolar, that doesn't really, like, hold me back or anything. People that know me, they know me, not my diagnosis."

'It makes me better'

Medications keep both mother and son satisfied with life.

They still have differences, but since Mitchell's last outburst six months ago, things have calmed.

If nothing else, Stone said her diagnosis has only improved her quality of life.

"Now that I know I have this mental illness, it almost makes it easier, because my son knows I understand him," she said. "So in some respects, it makes me a better mother, and in other respects, it even makes me a better person."

For Mitchell, the passing time provides relief.

"It's gotten better. I have matured more. The medications have started working better," he said.

But both credit each other for improvements.

"It's a part of who we are," Stone said. "Together, we can get through this."