Bipolar Disorder is otherwise known as manic-depressive illness. It is a brain disorder that causes shifts in moods, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out daily tasks. (Cite) These changes in behavior are outside of the norm as most people have ups and downs throughout their daily routines. But those with Bipolar Disorder experience shifts in mood that can be damaging to relationships, as well as their overall school and work performances. (Cite) I chose this disorder as the topic for my paper because a few years back my mother was diagnosed with the disorder. I have always been curious whether or not I would end up like her, later on in life, with the same manic-depressive illness. And if I did end up with this disorder I wonder if I would pass it onto my children. According to the National Institute of Mental Health there are four individual types of bipolar disorder: Bipolar Disorder I, Bipolar Disorder II, Cyclothymic Disorder, and Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified . My mother has Rapid-Cycling Bipolar Disorder and she has been hospitalized quite a few times for psych evaluations. “Those who experience rapid cycling can go between depression and mania as often as a few times a week (some even cycle within the same day).” (An Introduction to Bipolar Disorder). Growing up with a mother who has this disorder and a stepfather with schizophrenia its very hard to think of good memories since there was always arguments and fighting. It 's a strange
Bipolar disorder is a manic-depressive lifelong illness in the brain that causes shifts in mood, energy, activity, and the ability to carry out normal tasks, but efficient treatment helps people to manage these complications and normalize their daily lives. This illness is a very serious mental disease affecting about 2.6 percent of adults in the United States that has the power to cause risky behavior and even suicidal tendencies if not treated (www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml). It is more common in older teens and young adults, but it affects children as young as six years old. It affects men and women, all races, ethnic groups, and socioeconomic classes equally but women experience more periods of depression than
One of my closest friends during my undergraduate career has a mental illness called bipolar. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, bipolar is defined as a chronic mental illness that causes a range of different shifts in mood, energy, activity occurrence, and the ability to function and carry out the day to day tasks (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016). Bipolar disorder is also known as a manic depressive illness due to the shifts in mood. People with bipolar often experience lows and highs. Research substantiates that there is no clear cause for bipolar, but there are many factors that contribute to the likelihood of a person developing bipolar.
Bipolar Disorder, also known as manic- depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes out of the ordinary shifts in a person’s mood, energy and having the ability to do everyday tasks. Bipolar affects millions of people every year (1 % of population) per year. This particular type of disorder does not only affect one particular person, it also affects the people around them (family, friends). Bipolar disorder was discovered in 1875 by a man of the name of Jules Falret and was able to establish a link between depression, suicide and somewhat moods which were filled with joy, excitement and happiness . As the disorder was discovered he was able to determine that there was a link within families which meant that this disorder was a genetic link. Bipolar throughout time has struggled in the early ages as people did not believe that it was a legitimate illness as two moods seemed impossible for that period of time and it almost seemed fake. In the 1980’s the term “bipolar” replaced the term manic- depressive disorder as a diagnostic term. Since the discovery of Bipolar disorder researchers, doctors and Psychologists have come a long way in fully understanding the different types of moods that an individual can achieve and how they can be diagnosed. Bipolar once was confused with now known as other mental disorders such as unipolar depression ( ‘depression without mania is sometimes referred to as unipolar because the mood remains at one emotional state or
Bipolar disorder (once called Manic Depression) is a mental disorder characterized by highs (Mania) and lows (Depression). Some people with bipolar disorder are rapid cyclers, meaning they switch moods rapidly; sometimes switching moods every few minutes, sometimes switching them a few times a day. Others don't change as often, maybe switching moods one a week, for example. When manic an individual with bipolar feels powerful, invincible, and euphoric. When depressed they are lethargic and feel hopless. Most children born with bipolar disorder are very intelligent and artistic. For example, the great artist Van Gogh was thought to have bipolar disorder. One interesting thing is that you may not always know if someone has bipolar disorder. For
When looking at the difference between Bipolar Disorder, Manic Depressive Disorder, and Depression there are not many difference. One could look at the symptoms and see that with each there is a risk of moving towards the next disorder. An individual can be diagnosed with the lowest form of depression and if not taken care of can push the individual to the extreme without ever really knowing. Knowing the symptoms of each disorder, taking time to have tests run, having the diagnose given, and starting on the right track to controlling the disorder can most likely save one’s life in the grand scheme of like.
The journal articles in which my reaction will be based upon are: Definitional Issues in Bipolar Disorder Across the Life Cycle (Youngstrom 2009) and Advancing Research in Early-Onset Bipolar-Barriers and Suggestions (Carlson 2009). These two articles both had in common a specific implication of a particular issue. The main issue that caught my attention is the controversy of a doctors ability to diagnose a child with bipolar disorder. Many years ago diagnosing a child as bipolar was a rare and almost an unseen event. In recent years the number has more then doubled in the amount of children now diagnosed with the disorder. This over diagnosing of children can become dangerous especially when the child is placed on medication that could be harmful across their lifespan.
The Bipolar disorder (AKA) manic depression is a common and debilitating mood disorder which causes extreme shifts in energy and mood. The word bipolar means that the two main polar extremes in which a person with the disorder experiences. According to part of the National Institutes of Health that watches over neurological and psychological research this disorder affects about 2.1 million adults in the United States and about 1 percent of the entire world. The first signs of this disorder usually appear in childhood and early adulthood, with cases rarely happening in childhood, no discoveries have been
Bipolar disorder is caused, in part, by factors of nature. In short, bipolar disorder is caused by factors of genetics, heredity, factors that are inherent to who we are. Bipolar disorder (BD) is a “neuropsychiatric disorder…characterized by recurrent episodes of depression and mania or hypomania” (Bavamian et al., 2015. p. 573). The study conducted by Bavamian et. al., asserts that there are in fact microRNAs (miRNAs) which regulate gene expression. In individuals with BD, they expression of miR-34a is increased within the cerebellum (Bavamian et al., 2015. p. 576). miR-34a, a smaller piece of a microRNA family, is shown to be reduced by lithium and valproic acid. These two drugs have been used for long-term treatment of BD (Bavamian et
There has been a spike in adolescents being diagnosed with bipolar disorder over the last decade, which has caused the controversy on whether there is a bipolar disorder “epidemic” or not. Although there are obstacles in being diagnosed with bipolar disorder that may interfere with one’s everyday life, such as: manic episodes, mood swings, restlessness, impulsivity, potential harm to you and others, and much more. With the epidemic, it has raised the concern on whether people are being properly diagnosed or not. Being diagnosed with any kind of disorder comes with changes and challenges that affect you and the ones you surround yourself with, whether it’s family, friends, classmates, teachers, coworkers, and other peers. For those being
In general, having Bipolar Disorder is like living at your best and you are worst and having no control over it. People may refer to bipolar are manic depressive disorder, this is due to for the individuals having periods of mania, and periods of depression. Bipolar is derived from having two moods, hence mania and depression. Mania is a period of energy, individuals will feel energized, on top of the world and may even experience sleep deprivation. Sometime later, the energy goes away, and depression will set it. Depression is where the individual will be at their lowest, become suicidal and struggle to be productive in various places such as school, work, relationships, and carry out every day activities (Roberts). I have chosen to pick this topic because 2 out of 5 people in my household family have bipolar, and now I, myself am starting to show signs of having bipolar disorder. Living with someone who has bipolar that isn’t managed is very difficult and scary. My sister, who is the person behind me picking this disorder has struggled all her life since 7th grade, so 16 years later, she is still struggling to be manageable and not have as severe ups and downs. I also know people, more than just my house family, who have bipolar and I can even see how difficult it can be. I work at an assisted living place, and absolutely love it. I love to help people. We have a resident who is in their mid-60’s and the only reason he is living there, is due to his bipolar. He still has
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) bipolar disorder is divided into several more specific categories. Bipolar I Disorder, is categorized by mixed episodes of mania that can last anywhere between seven days to two weeks. Bipolar II Disorder is defined by depressive and hypomanic episodes, although they are not mixed or exaggerated. Bipolar Disorder NOS, is when the symptoms of bipolarity are clearly present in a patient and they alter his/her normal behavior, yet it does not quite fit in the criteria of either Bipolar II or I. Cyclothymic Disorder, another form of bipolarity, is a very mild form of the disorder yet the patient’s manic or depressive episodes do
Katy Perry’s song “Hot N Cold” comes to mind when I think of bipolar disorder, “You 're yes then you 're no, You 're in then you 're out, You 're up then you 're down.” This is the kind of general explanation that is given to give people an idea of what bipolar is. Not in the sense that it is rapid but it can be a battle between two ends. The National Institute of Mental Health defines bipolar disorder which is “also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks” (NIMH n.d.) There are a few different types of Bipolar Disorder commonly referred to as type 1 and type 2, although this is distinction is made more for diagnostic purposes not biological. I consider myself very familiar with bipolar disorder since there is a good chance I may develop it later in life and my mother has it and is currently unmediated. Currently, there are many different treatments for bipolar disorder that is dependent on the severity of the symptoms. Bipolar disorder has a great effect on the affected person’s psychology since it can not only affect the persons thought process but can completely change a person’s personality.
Have you ever spent a lot of time around or just know of someone who has been diagnosed as bipolar? Or somebody who doesn’t act like they are all there? Bipolar is genetics wise, you can get it through DNA. It has many effects not only through the individual themselves but also family, friends, jobs, education. People who are diagnosed with this disorder have many amazing support systems behind them. There are medications, groups, therapy and friends and family who will always be there for them. The individual being diagnosed with bipolar don’t see exactly what others see, with being bipolar it causes conflict in the family with that being said on daily basis fighting, yelling, reckless behavior occurs. Bipolar has many internal effects on
In an article produced by Brown University (Psychopharmacology, 1998), at least two million Americans, or between 1 to 2 percent of the population, suffer from bipolar disorder. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Virginia Woolf, and Vincent Van Gogh are just a few famous examples known to have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder (Bhatia, 2014). According to Nick Craddock (1999) of The Journal of Medical Genetics, “bipolar disorder, also known as manic depressive illness, is a complex genetic disorder in which the core feature is pathological disturbance in mood ranging from extreme elation, or mania, to severe depression usually accompanied by disturbances in thinking and behavior.” These episodes can take an extreme toll on family structures, as well as simple everyday activities for the patient. There have been many research studies done to find what exactly causes bipolar disorder, though no conclusive answer has been found. Although a cause has not been discovered, researchers have come upon many correlations between those diagnosed and the disorder. These correlations include, heritability, alcohol and other drug abuse, and leadership positions (Edvardsen et al, 2008; Carmiol et al, 2014; Kyaga et. al, 2015). In the following paper, the roles that these correlations play in bipolar disorder will be further investigated. It is hypothesized that those with bipolar disorder more often than not have someone in their family that also has the disorder and that they will most likely
Before I truly understood Bipolar disorder, it was still a fairly common word in my vocabulary. Anytime I thought someone was being moody or fluctuating between emotions, I joked by claiming that person to be bipolar. Several incidents of this involved one of my roommates who seemed to be happy one day, and quite the polar opposite the next. However, it was not until my clinical experience on the psychiatric unit that I realized what true bipolar disorder was, and that she did not fit the criteria. Even though I always thought my roommate was bipolar, I quickly found after being exposed to a diagnosed bipolar patient that my roommate was instead just moody. I decided to write this paper on bipolar disorder, not because I have struggle with it or know a friend or family member with this disease, but because I had several misconceptions about what it entailed.