PSYC 100 Discussion Week 6

Bipolar Disorder

RECENT RESEARCH

Diagnosing and treating patients early on may help “prevent or at least delay the onset of the

disorder” (Richmond, 2018). “Failing to recognize and treat patients in the earliest

stages…carries a high cost [and] the longer you wait, the more resistant to treatment the

person may become" (Richmond, 2018).

The link between bipolar and narcissism, both have similar symptoms for example during the

euphoric (high) phase a person may exhibit self-importance, grandiosity, elevated energy

levels (leading to risk behavior) and during the depressed state (lows) a person may neglect

self-care, avoidance and appear insensitive to others needs (Villines, 2018).

Sidenote from personal experience. Someone with thyroid issues can exhibit traits of BPD.

It is important to get a full blood work-up before accepting a BPD diagnosis.

CAUSES AND RISK FACTORS

Bipolar disorder often referred to as manic

depressive disorder is linked to “volume

decrease in certain parts of the hippocampus”

(Pedersen, 2017). The part of the brain that is

responsible for memory and emotion.

Is BP caused by genetics? Studies indicate

that “certain genes are more likely to develop

BPD than others” and is known to run in

families (National Institute of Mental Health - Bipolar Disorder, 2016).

DESCRIPTION

Bipolar Disorder “BPD” is classified by either BP-1, “manic episodes that last more than 7 days or require hospitalization”

(National Institute of Mental Health – Bipolar Disorder, 2016) and BP-II a pattern or "depressive episodes and hypomanic episodes" but not requiring hospitalization or lasting 7 days or longer (National Institute of Mental Health - Bipolar Disorder, 2016).

Bipolar disorder involves mood swings, ranging from

periods of euphoria (very high) to periods of severe

depression (very low).

People with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder will

exhibit erratic sleep patterns, the mind is always

“talking” which makes it difficult to rest. During the

highs and lows of this disease people can exhibit little

to no activity during the low periods and extremely

risky activity during the high periods (National Institute of Mental Health - Bipolar Disorder, 2016).

PREVALENCE

A study performed by Merikangas, Jin, He, Kessler,

Lee, Sampson, and Zarkov (2011) of the aggregate lifetime prevalence of Bipolar Disorder affecting U.S.

adults resulted in the following statistics:

BP-1 - 0.6%

References:

Know your brain: Hippocampus. (2014). Retrieved from

https://www.neuroscientificallychallenged.com/blog/2014/5/23/know-your-brain-

hippocampus

Merikangas, K. R., Jin, R., He, J.-P., Kessler, R. C., Lee, S., Sampson, N. A., & Zarkov, Z. (2011). Prevalence and correlates of Bipolar Spectrum Disorder in the World Mental Health Survey Initiative. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68(3), 241–251.

http://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.12

National Institute of Mental Health (2016). Bipolar Disorder. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/ health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml

Pedersen, T. (2017). Bipolar Disorder linked to decreased hippocampal volume. Retrieved from https://psychcentral.com/news/2017/01/26/bipolar-disorder-linked-to-decreased-

hippocampal-volume/115618.html

Richmond, L. (2018). Psychiatric News. Retrieved from

https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.pn.2018.3a15

The Saylor Foundation. (2015). Introduction to psychology. Revised by LD&S Staff of UMUC in 2016. Retrieved from http://www.saylor.org;books.

Villines, Z. (2018). Bipolar and narcissism: Is there a link?. Retrieved from

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321985.php