The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 16 letter word MANIC-DEPRESSIVE
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
M
A
N
I
C
-
D
E
P
R
E
S
S
I
V
E
More clues leading to the result MANIC-DEPRESSIVE
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The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.