Bipolar II Disorder

Pegasus made sure to take a long drink of water before his next patient arrived. Yugi and The Pharaoh were a good way to start his day, but he was thankful to get a short break before his next subject had his appointment.

In all truth if the matter, I'm amazed Seto Kaiba returns for more appointments.

The tall figure strode in and slammed the door behind him. It was a wonder the ornate wood never cracked with the frequency and force with which the man greeted it.

"Hello, Kaiba," Pegasus said. It still felt strange to refer to a patient in such formal manners. But, it was what the man had requested.

"Hn," he grunted, stood awkwardly behind the armchair.

Pegasus didn't bother to invite Kaiba to sit. He would do it on his own, when he became comfortable enough. "How was your morning so far?"

"Typical," Kaiba grunted, checked his watch.

Pegasus knew Kaiba didn't have somewhere else to be. But, he did need some discourse to start. "Do you have somewhere else to be?"

"I wish." Hiss-like. "I'm only here for Mokuba."

While Seto Kaiba is a successful businessman (multi-billionaire, it should be noted), his main motivation for anything and everything is the wellbeing of his younger brother, Mokuba Kaiba. I doubt that Seto Kaiba would seek treatment for his condition otherwise.

One thing that made Pegasus so good at his job was his observational skills. Not many things could slip past his keen eye. "How did you sleep last night?"

"I didn't," Seto Kaiba responded shortly.

Pegasus hummed, subtly scratched some notes down. "How much work did you get done?"

"I'm ahead by two weeks."

Insomnia and hypomanic episodes are two very key symptoms of Bipolar II Disorder. Unfortunately for Seto Kaiba, these symptoms typically occur simultaneously. The inability to sleep and a sudden, inhuman burst of energy and the desire to do make Kaiba quite the nocturnal worker.

"How often have you been working at night since last we met?"

At least when it comes to Kaiba, I must approach all inquiries delicately. He is still in denial of his condition, and any wayward suggestion of an 'episode' could trigger an explosive reaction.

"Six days," Kaiba answered.

They'd last met two weeks ago. "Were any of these consecutive?" Pegasus inquired.

"No," Kaiba replied. He finally drifted around to sit in the armchair.

"How have you been coping with these sleepless nights?"

Kaiba's jaw suddenly tensed. "Fine."

"No sleepiness during the day? Even on days when your nights went smoothly?"

"None."

Hypersomnia. Excessive sleepiness during the day. Despite his recurring hypomanic episodes, Seto Kaiba never seems to experience it. Or perhaps he never allows himself to do so. Even I find it hard to tell, sometimes. The man drinks enough coffee that it probably makes up a vast majority of his body composition.

Pegasus made a small noise in his throat and marked on his paper. Blue eyes watched his squiggling pen, hawk-like. "Pardon, it slipped my mind to ask, but how is Mokuba doing?"

- Kaiba had disclosed to me that it was a tradeoff; he would seek professional help under the condition that his little brother would, too. Initially, they had both come to me for treatment. Unfortunately, I am not confident in my ability to keep the two cases separate, so I referred Mokuba Kaiba to Doctor Mai Valentine, a skilled psychiatrist and my close associate -

Under scribbles, letters were barely legible,

Sometimes I think I picked the wrong brother.

Kaiba's lip twitched, and Pegasus feared he had mis-stepped, after all of this progress.

But then Kaiba sat down, rested his elbows on his knees, tightly knotted his hands together.

"We had an… argument," Kaiba said through gritted teeth. He shook his head. "No, that's fucking wrong. I just fucking snapped on him."

Mood swings. The most telltale symptom of any Bipolar Disorder. They can be triggered by nearly anything. A change in weather. A change in hormones. Life events. Drugs and alcohol. Stress. Without knowing an individual subject's tendencies, the potential catalysts are endless.

"What happened leading up to that moment?" Pegasus asked, not asking yet what exactly happened. Pegasus knew he needed to approach this delicately.

Kaiba rubbed a long-fingered hand over his face. "I'd had a long day. I… wasn't feeling like myself. Like anyone."

Pegasus jotted some notes down.

"I didn't want to talk to anyone. I… I just wanted to be alone. I wanted to lie down and not think about anything or anyone." He kept his hand pressed to his face. "I don't even know what he said to me."

Pegasus noted the twitching fingers.

"I don't even know what I said to him."

Pegasus felt his brow furrow with sympathy.

"I'm… tired. So tired."

It's amazing how a man that has it all can suffer so much.

END PART

I personally feel like this fits Seto very well. My personal opinion, though. We'll flesh out his case more later.